A Tale of A Redheaded Turkey
by taggerung0254
Summary: The Turks go to Wutai for a vacation, without Reno. Reno declines to go, which means he's missing out on the best beer and booze in the world! Why would he do such a thing? Read to find out!
1. Chapter 1

**Okay, here we go! This is the first VII fic I've published, and I must say that I've put the Turks in a bit of OC, but I like it this way. So here we go-go!   
**

**I don't own FFVIII or any of her characters, nor do I own the name Renji. **

"I wonder why Reno declined to join us? You'd think he would jump at a chance to go to the bars here."

Elena and Tseng had already exited the helicopter and were making sure the area was secure before Rufus desembarked. They gave a signal to Rude, who was still in the helicopter with Rufus, that all was clear. Tseng answered Elena without taking his eyes off their surroundings.

"No idea. One more of us would make it more secure. Why Rufus keeps him around is beyond me."

"He does a great job, he just mouths off a lot. You've said so yourself."

"That was before he declined a direct order to accompany us here."

Rude got out first, and was followed by Rufus, who was straightening his clothes and brushing his hair out of his face. Rufus looked around him and sighed. Elena and Tseng went back to where the other two stood, waiting for the whine of the rotors to die down. Rufus began walking calmly toword the center of Wutai, flanked by the Turks. None of them suspected any kind of threat in the town. It had no choice but to be peaceful. There were many ninja-trained people here, and no one wanted to start a killing spree with them, so everything stayed quiet. It was one of the few places Rufus could go to and not be harrassed.

"A few days at Turtle Paradise, with no paperwork, no nagging calls, no bothersome underlings asking advice on things they should already know. Ahhh, now this is paradise indeed!" Rufus looked at his companions, and quirked an eyebrow. "You know this place is secure. It always is. No violence is allowed here. Are you frightened of a little of a little old lady with a bunch of cats?"

"It pays to be viligent, sir." Tseng could always be counted on to be serious about his work. "I'd feel better if Reno had accompanied us." He scowled at the thought of Reno, making Rufus chuckle.

"You're just upset because you're best drinking buddy stayed home."

"Which makes me ask again," Elena chirped, "why didn't he join us? The Turtle Paradise has the best stock of beer and booze anyone could think of." Everyone shook their heads but for Rude. Only Rufus seemed to notice.

"You know something, don't you Rude?" Rufus asked, turning to the quiet, tall man. "It's totally out of character for him to stay away. Why does he avoid this place like it's got plague? Three years of pointedly not going to the best bars in the world..."

"Not my place to say, sir." The words were clipped, but not rudely. It was simply his way of speaking.

"I could order you. His refusal to go to Wutai could be viewed as insubordination."

"..." No one, not even Rufus, could pry an answer out of Rude that he did not want to give. Not even torture would make him talk. Everyone sighed, knowing he would say nothing. Reno and Rude were close friends, and neither of them would reveal the other's secrets. Needless to say, they were surprised when he spoke. "There's someone he wants to avoid. It's a personal thing."

"A personal thing? Rude, man, Reno shares details from every night he's spent with a woman. What the hell does he consider 'personal'?" Tseng said, surprised into looking at his fellow Turk for a moment.

"Oh, I bet it's really juicy! Come on, Rude! I'll buy you a round of drinks tonight if you spill it!" Elena knew Rude liked to drink, and that was usually how they got any information out of him at all. Apparently he was not to be swayed, because he simply shook his head and continued to walk and survey the area. "Defintaly juicy, if he won't talk about it."

They settled into silence for the rest of the walk into Wutai. Once inside the gates of the city, they all relaxed somewhat. Any kind of violence within the city was strictly forbidden and enforced by obscenely strong punishments. Provoking a fight was an easy way to get one's home confiscated and thrown out of the city. It was a great deturent, seeing as some families have held their land and home for generations. Not a one of them would disgrace their ancestors by losing it.

The appearance of the Turtle Paradise prompted them to walk faster. Three days spent in an island paradise was eagerly looked forward to. Rude was the first inside, taking stock of the lobby before signaling the rest to enter. A woman dressed in a kimono bowed to them, and proceeded to lead them to their reserved rooms. They knew Rufus and the Turks from previous visits, and did not bother to even sign them in. The woman left them with a murmer of thanks and another bow.

"YES! Let's get to the beach before the sun goes down!" Elena ran into her room and slammed the door, making the others wince.

"She'll never learn to keep quiet, will she?" Tseng asked no one in particular. He followed suit, but he pointedly did not slam his door. Rufus and Rude did the same, as eager to begin relaxing as Elena was. In short order, they were all headed out of the building and down the path that lead to the beach. It was lined with glittering shells and the unique white sand of Wutai beaches. Guards stood at intervals along the path, keeping free from monsters and loiterers alike.

"Now that's what I like to see! White sand beaches, and beautiful women sunbathing on them!" Rufus laughed and hurried onto the sun-heated sand. Elena rushed past all of them, stopping only when she found an ideal piece of sand that was unclaimed. Whe waved them over and proceeded to set up 'camp'. 'Camp' consisted of towels, sunglasses, sunscreen, an unbrella the size of a car and a cooler full of drinks, most of them alcoholic.

Elena and Tseng were galavanting in the ocean, no longer hiding that they were a couple. They were all business when it came to their duty, but off duty, they were no better than teenagers. Rufus and Rude were relaxing in the shade provided by the umbrella. The heat was still there, but it was a soft, baking kind of heat under the umbrella.

"I don't care if there's someone I want to avoid, I'll never stay away from this place." Rude looked at his boss but said nothing. "Still not going to tell, are you? Alright. You don't have to say anything. You can just nod." Rufus got no reaction, so he decided to continue. "Is it a girl he's trying to avoid?" There was still no reaction from Rude, so he gave up and leaned back and closed his eyes.

They weren't closed for long. Rufus felt a shadow over him. Rude made no move, so he assumed it was one of his Turks returned from the ocean. He cracked an eye open to find a child looking at him. He nearly jumped out of his skin when he took a good look at the boy. He could be no older than three, but he looked at Rufus with a rare kind of intelligence. That was not the reason he was startled. The boy had blue eyes, and blazing red hair the exact shade of Reno's. He even shared Reno's facial features.

"I've never seen you before mister. You came in the big 'copter?" The boy was grinning innocently, still looking at Rufus. It was a grin he had seen many a time on Reno's face.

"Uh, yes. We did. What's your name, boy?"

"Renji. Don't tell Mommy I told you. She'll be mad." He tilted his head to the side, almost like a bird. "What's yours?"

"My name is Rufus. This," he nodded at Rude, who had taken off his glasses to stare at the boy. "is Rude." The boy giggled at Rude's name.

"Rufus? Like the man who runs Shinra?"

"That would be me. You're very articulate for a child."

"Arcticua-what?"

"Articulate. You speak well."

"Oh, Mommy says that too."

"Where's your mom at, kid?" Rude asked, making the boy look at him curiously.

"Down there." He waved a hand vaguely to his right. "She'll call me in a couple a seconds." Right on cue, a woman's voice drifted downt the beach. It was familiar, but too far away for them to identify. The boy turned and waved, but made no move to go back to his mother. "See? She always knows when I'm gone..." He pouted slightly, something that made him undeniably cute. Rufus and Rude both smiled despite themselves.

"RENJI! YOU GET BACK HERE RIGHT NOW OR NO DESSERT AFTER DINNER!"

"OKAY!" Renji sighed in defeat, making both men hid their laughter. "I gotta go...bye!" The boy ran off down the beach to his mother, who, by all appearances, was scolding him upon reaching her. Rufus turned to Rude, who still had his glasses off.

"Is THAT who he's avoiding?"

"No...it's the kid's mom...damn. He never knew about a kid. Damn."

"Well, knowing IS half the battle..."

**Now, wasn't that interesting? R&R please! **

**Tagg **


	2. Chapter 2

** Ok, so, there was a mystery left from the last chapter! It is revealed in this one! It's short, but I wanted to separate the chapters difinitively. Reno..a father? How strange to think! Oh, I'd have Reno's kid...(fangirl squeeeeeeeee) Ahem. **

**I don't own FFVII, or the characters. I just own the story. MINE ALL MINE! NO TOUCHIE! **

"Rude, do you really think Reno doesn't know about that kid?"

"He doesn't. Reno might be a coward, but there's no way he'd leave his own kid like that." Rufus was surprised. Rude usually used that many words in a day, not in one sentence.

"So, he WAS avoiding a girl then."

"...yeah..."

"Why?"

"He was in love, and it scared the piss out of him. Still is, actually."

"In love with who?" Rude opened his mouth, but was interrupted by Elena and Tseng returning. Neither of them wished to continue the discussion in front of the other two. They would only complicate matters. "How was your swim? And if you continue to get sand on me, you're fired." Where Reno would have made it a point to kick sand at him, the other two did the exact opposite. The settled down on their towels quietly, both smiling like idiots.

"Who was that kid you were talking to, Rufus?" Elena asked, flipping wet hair out of her face. "I thought you didn't like kids."

"He happens to be the son of a friend of mine. And what gave you the idea that I don't like kids?"

"Well, there was that time when you threatened to shut down an orphanage..."

"Because it was under an unstable sector plate."

"Or when you hauled a kid away to the police..."

"For trying to steal my wallet, which happened to have part of your bonus in it, if I remember correctly."

"Ok, FINE, you like kids. I've never seen you talk to one before."

"There's a first time for everything, isn't there, Elena?" The woman blushed and looked away. Tseng remained silent, not wanting to get involved in any kind of argument. "Are you ready to go back, or do you want to stay here and get sunburn?"

"I'll get some sunburn, thanks."

"Fine, I'm headed back. No, Rude, you don't have to go with me."

"I'd rather, sir." Rufus shrugged and got up, making sure to brush sand onto Elena 'accidently'. She gave him a dirty glare before returning her attention to Tseng. They both waited until on the white path to speak again.

"So, Reno's in love...now that I think about it, it explains a lot of his behavior. But he still goes out with a different woman every night. That doesn't seem a very romantic thing to do."

"He doesn't sleep with them."

"What!"

"He doesn't sleep with them. Just goes out and escorts them home after dinner."

"Ok...so who's the lucky girl?"

"I'll find out regardless."

"He's gunna kill me." Rude swiped his bald head with a hand, sighing. "An Avalanche member."

"What? The one with the too-large breasts?"

"No. The ninja girl, Yuffie."

"You're kidding, right?"

"No. Stole his heart and his materia in the same night."

"Which materia?"

"Mastered Heal."

"I'd wondered where that went...but the ninja girl? You're sure?"

"Yes."

"And he's got a kid now. With her, I'm assuming. Don't tell those two." Rufus jerked his head back, indicating Elena and Tseng. "I know they'll rub it in his face,and that's the last thing that needs to happen."

"He won't come here, no matter what you do."

"He will if I blackmail him."

"Good point."

**Sooooooooooooooooooooooo, it was really really short, I know. It fits nicely though. I wonder how Rufus will try to blackmail Reno into coming to Wutai...:) **

**R&R please! Thanks!**

**Tagg **


	3. Chapter 3

**And here is the next chapter! I'm on a roll here! Two chapters in one night! So what if the last one was short...it's the effort and thought that counts! lol. This one is my favorite so far. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. **

**I don't own FFVII or any character belonging to it. The story is mine. **

There is a rarely used office in the new Shinra Co. Building in Midgar. Its owner despised paper work, usually putting it off on someone else. The office, lacking anything else to do, collected dust. Thus the reason its occupant was sneezing every few minutes. He had just cleaned it from top to bottom, throwing away things rather than get rid of the dust that covered them. There was a heap of trash bags outside the office window that contained lamps, rugs, various office supplies and a chair with bullet holes in the back. The staff was familiar with the cleaning habits of the office owner, so they simply ignored it until the janitors took it away.

Considering the purge of the office of everything but the desk, there was one thing that was carefully dusted and sat in clean glory on the desk. It was a picture. It was facing the window, so that its owner wouldn't have to look at it. Not that it mattered. He knew what it was better than anything else. He tried to ignore it by setting up new lamps, rugs, various pieces of office supplies and a new chair. It only worked for so long. He had to sit in the chair at the desk to do his work, and that meant looking at the picture.

Doing the work meant thinking about the picture. It was taken right in this office, with him at his desk. Sitting there would remind him of the picture he was trying so hard to ignore.

The arrival of someone with a stack of papers as thick as his arm forced him to sit down in his new, non-bullet-riddled chair, and stare at the picture. He picked it up gently, as though it would break at the slightest touch. There he was, sitting in his chair at his desk, smiling like a love-struck fool at a young woman who wore a similar expression. She was leanign over the back of his chair, her arms around his neck. The picture was nothing compared to the memory he held of that day.

It was the day he realized he was in love.

It was the day he did the stupidest thing in his life.

Three years had passed since he'd been in this office. He couldn't bear to see it and remember. Not that he didn't remember without seeing it. It was just that seeing it brought it fresh into his mind, like it happened yesterday instead of three years ago. It was the first time he had ever used his office, the only reason being that he wanted to do his job right for the first time. He wanted to impress her, and having his own office this size was impressive to anyone. It impressed her, but she didn't care if he had an office. She cared that she was with him, in an office or the bottom of a materia mine. He felt the same.

That's why he broke up with her that day. He didn't want to be in love. He thought that by getting rid of her, he would get rid of that emotion.

Needless to say, it didn't work.

He was still in love with her. Three years, and he was still in love with her. It took him two months to realize just how stupid he was. She had called him then, but he couldn't make himself answer the phone. She called him five times a day, each time he couldn't answer her. The calls stopped, but not the nagging feeling that he should have answered. It gnawed at his mind ceaslessly. That's what caused the chair to be riddled with bullets. He imagined himself sitting there, with her arms around his neck, cursing himself for throwing away the most precious thing in the world to him; he emptied a clip into the hapless chair.

The chair didn't mind. It was tired of living in dust and dis-use. Being shot at was the highlight of it's short life. It almost sighed in relief when he shot it. Such was the life of office furniture in the Shina Co. Building.

The man sat, facing the picture he'd been avoiding. His hand went to his cell phone on impulse. Flipping it open, he dialed a number that hadn't been used in years. He paused, finger over the 'send' button. Indecision stayed his hand, or rather, finger. What was the worst thing that would happen? She wouldn't answer. Or she could have gotten married and her new husband would answer the phone. Could he deal with that? No.

He hit the button anyway. He had always liked to live dangerously.

'Ring'

'Ring'

'Ri- "Hello?"

"Who's this?" Sound was muffled for a moment as the object of his affection checked the number that had called her. "Wait...Reno?"

'Click'

Reno sat in his new chair, with his new lamps lit and new rugs on the floor and new office supplies, and stared at his cell phone. He turned it off before she called him back. He never got any work done that evening. He sat at his desk with his head in his hands.

The office supplies were, needless to say, disappointed.

**And there you have it! R&R please! Thanks!**

**Tagg **


	4. Chapter 4

** And here's the next chapter! Time for some background info, kinda, and some rain! WOO. It's been so rainy here, I had to put it in the story. I think it fits perfectly. You'll get some Reno in the next two chapters. Aren't you excited? I know I am. **

**I do not own FF VII, or any of the characters therein. I simply borrow the world and characters for my own device. Enjoy! **

Rufus was sitting on a park bench. Rude, as always, was beside him, keeping an eye out for trouble. It was early afternoon, but there was little sunlight. Clouds were gathering in the sky, announcing the coming rains. Storms in Wutai were few and far between, but they had a frightening intensity to make up for it. All of the locals were heading for cover. Parents had young children in tow, while others were helping the elderly. He watched the mass exodus, wondering why no one bothered to carry an umbrella on a day when they knew there would be rain. Rufus and Rude were both distracted from people watching by a familiar voice nearby.

"...you're worried, why not ask Mr. Rufus? Or Mr. Rude? They're right over there, Mommy." They turned to the right and found Renji walking toward them, holding his mother's hand. The woman looked around for a moment, and caught sight of them. Her eyes widened with shock, and she looked down at her son.

"How did you know they were here?"

"I met them at the beach, Mommy. They're nice. You can ask them." Renji was looking up at her, his young face oddly serious.

"I'd be happy to answer any questions I can." Rufus announced, gaining the woman's attention again. The Great Ninja Yuffie, as she had called herself, had grown and matured more than he could imagine. She was still slim, and slightly tom-boyish, but she was a marked beauty. Her eyes still retained their look of mischeif, and there were more curves on her body than before. Now he realized why Reno found her attractive. Yuffi was petite, beautiful, and apparently still a human incarnation of an imp.

"We don't have time, Renji. The rain'll start any minute! Do you want to get all wet and squish everywhere you walk?" Renji giggled at this.

"Yes!" Yuffie rolled her eyes dramatically, giving her son a smile afterward. "Mommy, why can't they come have tea with us? Then you can ask and we'll all be dry."

"Renji, Mr. Rufus and Mr. Rude are busy men, they might not be able to. You should ask them first if they'd like to."

"Mr. Rufus, Mr. Rude? Wanna-" Yuffi interupted him with an 'ahem'. Renji sighed, then continued. "Would you like to come to tea with us?" He pronounced each word, pointedly looking at his mother while doing it.

"I'd love to. I'm not busy at all. What about you Rude? Are you busy?"

"No sir."

"See, Mommy? I told you they were nice."

"I never doubted you, silly monkey. Well, if you're coming, hurry it up. I don't want to get caught in the storm."

Yuffie and Renji took the lead, setting as fast a pace as the boy could handle without running. While they were walking, the day got darker and darker as the grey clouds got ready to dump their burden of rain on Wutai. Just as they were passing the Pagoda, huge rain drops began to fall. Renji turned back to them briefly.

"We gotta run!" With that, they ran, following Yuffie and her son as they turned two more streets and onto a porch attached to a small house. Just as they got under cover, the rain began in earnest, obscurring everything from view. "That was close, huh Mommy?"

"Yeah. Really close. And what did I tell you about saying 'gotta' and 'wanna'?"

"That I know better and I should use the real words cause I'm not a walking ape?"

"Yes. If you were an ape you'd be all hairy and eat BUGS!" Renji made a face, wrinkling his nose while shaking his head. Rufus chuckled at it. Reno made the exact same face when confronted with insects. The man could face down those Sephiroth clones without breaking a sweat, but put an insect in front of him, and he freaked out. Yuffie unlocked the door, and they followed her inside. The house was bigger than he thought. It was a comfortable place, one that was lived in. Toys were stuck in odd areas and a half-full glass of water were surrounded by simple, yet tasteful pieces of furniture. Brush paintings adorned the walls, with scenes ranging from mountains to cats.

"Renji, why don't you show Mr. Rufus and Mr. Rude your paintings while I get the tea ready?"

"Okay! Come on!" Renji grabbed both men by the hand and lead them down a short hallway. Before he left Yuffie's presense, Rufus found her giving him a distinct look. It said something along the lines of 'hurt my son and you'll end up with a shruiken up your ass'. Rufus nodded in understanding then followed his tiny leader. The boy opened a door and lead them in, reaching up to hit the light switch.

A huge canvas drop cloth covered the floor. The walls here held paintings as well, but only on the upper half. The bottom half of the room had long pieces of thin rope strung from wall to wall. Several paintings were hanging from what looked like clothes hangeres. A small table, suitable to Renji's size, was the main piece of furniture. Two chairs sat in the corner near the window.

"This is where I make all my paintings! Mommy keeps all of them, even the bad ones. I don't want her to have the bad ones. Just the good ones."

"You made all these?" Rufus and Rude both looked at the red-haired boy in surprise. Rude walked to where one was hanging, taking off his sunglasses to examine a picture. Rufus did the same, marveling at it. "You're so young! It takes years to learn to do these this well."

"Yeah, I made them. I'm really good at it. Mommy says that I can go to school for it, when I'm older if I want. I just like to make them. I saw them at the Pagoda, and I made them at home with crayons. Mommy and Grampa saw them, and got me a nice brush set and lots of paper. And books! See?" A closet door opened to reveal shelves lined with books. "These are all about brush painting, and pictures of the really good ones. I want mine to be in one of these books!" Rufus came to look at the boy's collection, and found beautifully illustrated books and instruction manuals. The manuals were untouched, but the spines of the illustrated ones were beginning to wear out from use.

"And here's where all my paintings are." The boy was dragging out a large black portfolio that was taller than he was. Rufus took it from the boy, who smiled with relief, and placed it on the low table. After un-zipping it, he found the inside was full of the boy's work, some of them were rolled and tied with ribbon. As he leafed through them, Renji gave him the date he made it and what it was about. Some were simply scenery, and of the surrounding lands. A few were depictions of fairy tales and fables, some of legends. Rude was looking over his shoulder, sunglasses still off. Rufus stopped and looked carefully at one painting.

It was a garden, complete with fish pond and cherry blossoms. Kneeling beside the water was a woman, dressed in a traditional kimono. An air of sadness and loneliness surrounded her, depicted by nothing but her posture. There were no other living creatures within the painting. Renji, who had been a chatter-box until that painting, was quiet. Rufus looked over at the boy questioningly.

"What was this one from?" He was curious to see why a child would paint something so sad. Rude looked at the boy also.

"That's Mommy, in Grampa's garden." Renji frowned. "Grampa asked her to do the Butterfly Dance at some party thing. She wouldn't do it, and her and Grampa yelled at each other. Then she ran off into the garden. All the lights and people kept me awake, so I went to see if Mommy was alright."

"Was she?"

"Kinda...I waited til she stopped crying to give her a hug. I don't know why Grampa would say such a mean thing."

"What did he say? You don't have to tell, but I'll keep it a secret." Rufus made sure his face was completely serious, causing Rude to cover a laugh with a cough. "Rude will too, won't you Rude?" The tall man nodded.

"He said Mommy should forget about my daddy. That he's a bad person, and a jerk, and that if he cared he'd be here with us. Daddy's not a bad person. He's not here cause he doesn't know about me. That's all."

"So he really doesn't know..." Renji shook his head in response.

"Nope. I asked Mommy why he wasn't here, and she told me. She tells me lots of things about him, though. He flies 'copters, and fights bad guys and works for a big company called Shinra."

"Yes, he does. He has his own special helicopter, too. He won't let anyone else fly it but him. He's very good at it."

"I hope he'll take me on a ride in one...Uncle Cid took us up on his airship one time, but Mommy got sick. Mr. Rufus?" The boy was serious again. It was so odd to see that expression on a child's face. Rufus nodded at him. "Can't you make Daddy come here? I wanna meet him, and Mommy's so lonely and sad."

"We'll get him here, kid." Rude answered. He gave his boss a look, which always meant that the man had a plan.

"Really? You will?"

"Yeah."

"YAY!" The remark was punctuated by a jump. "Don't tell Mommy. I want it to be a surprise. Okay?"

"Will do."

"I think Mommy's almost done. Let's go!" Rufus helped the boy zip the portfolio up and put it away in the closet before they left, turning out the light. Just as Renji predicted, Yuffie was walking out of the kitchen with a tray bearing cups and a tea pot. Renji immediately offered to help, but was told to sit down instead.

Tea in Wutai was usually a formal affair, with ceremony for pouring and drinking. It was tiresome to those who did not see the point of it. Rufus was one of the few who were born out of Wutai that enjoyed the tea ceremony. It was taxing, but it was worth it in his mind. An informal tea, like this one, was welcomed more than a formal one, though. Renji, surprisingly, got his own cup of tea. He enjoyed it as much as anyone else did, with a miminum of sugar added. Rude had been dragged off to see a book on butterflies over at the opposite wall once they had drained their cups, leaving Rufus and Yuffie to themselves.

"So, what is it that you needed to ask me?" Rufus said, setting down his cup on a side table.

"Hmm..."

"Is it about Reno?"

"Hmm...he called yesterday. And didn't say a word, then hung up. Is he alright?" Yuffie was sitting with her feet under her, cradling her cup in both hands. She was looking at her son, but he could see the worry in her face.

"He was when we left. Nothing has happened since then, so it's safe to assume he's alright."

"Hmm..." There was silence for a while, as she watched Renji and Rude flipping through a book. "Go ahead, Rufus. You know you want to ask."

"Reno's his father, correct?"

"With that face and hair, who else would be his father?"

"True. Why didn't you ever tell him about Renji?"

"I tried to. He wouldn't answer my calls, and I can't exactly hop onto an airship three months pregnant to see him. I left messages, but I guess he either didn't get them or doesn't care that he has a son."

"You know him better than that."

"He didn't answer because he was scared."

"Scared? I'm the one who went through nine months of morning sickness, a twelve hour labor and raised a child for three years ALONE. He's got no excuse." Rufus winced slightly, but he could understand her point. Being a parent was a difficult job for two people, he could not imagine doing it alone. "My dad wanted to have Reno killed. He couldn't do it, cause I wouldn't name Reno as the father until after Renji was two. You can't hold blood feud after two years. So, it's just as well Reno never came here. The last thing I want is for him to be hurt."

"You love him, don't you?" Ruffie looked up sharply at him. He stared back calmly, waiting for her to answer.

"Yeah. But it doesn't matter, cause he's apparently happy on his own." Even Rufus could see the emotional pain she was in. It was no wonder Renji picked it up in his painting.

"He isn't, you know."

"What? When Tifa tells me about all the different women he goes out with?"

"He just takes them to dinner. He doesn't sleep with them." An expression crossed her face so quickly, he thougth he imagined it. He couldn't name it, but it was powerful. Yuffie then looked away from him, staring at her cup. Seeing that a change of subject would be appreciated, he started a new thread. "Renji is incredibly intelligent for a boy his age."

"You don't know the half of it. Renji's smart. Really smart. He was talking in complete sentenses before he was a year and a half. He reads books like there is no tomorrow. He doesn't go to pre-school because he's so far ahead of kids his age. I have no idea where he gets it from, either."

"There's no where for him to go? What about time in an advanced class?"

"Renji's a little boy. He needs to be a little boy, not a tiny adult. I make sure he runs and plays like any other little boy, but its hard for him not to have friends that understand. That's why he makes friends with adults. At least they aren't cruel to him for being smart."

Rufus hadn't thought of things that way. Yuffie, apparently, was a better parent than most. She knew and recognized the need for play and friends, but there was little she could do beyond being a parent.

"I'll call him later, make sure he's alright."

"Thank you."

"Mommy! Can we go to the mountains and hunt for butterflies tomorrow? I want to catch a Blue Swallow Tail to show Mr. Rude."

"If it doesn't rain, and you promise to set it the butterfly free after you show Mr. Rude."

"Okay! I'd set it free anyway, after you took a picture of it. You'll like it, Mr. Rude. It's such a pretty butterfly."

"Yeah."

**Soooooooooo...I'd like some imput, people! All you guys read this, but no reviews...I don't know if you like it or not if you don't give me some feedback:) So, R&R and thanks!**

**Tagg **


	5. Chapter 5

** And here we are, born to be kings...we're princes of the uni...ver..se...yeah, sorry, got carried away there. Anywho, here we have another chapter. This is a bit short, but the next few chapters are going to be nice and long. I've got some fluff in the next chapter, but then there will also be some no-good stuff as well. I've got it all planned out...and thanks to you who have reviewed. It means a lot that you took the time. : )  
**

**I don't own FF VII or any of the characters in it. I just use it to amuse myself and others who read my writings. **

They stayed at the house for two more hours, waiting for the rain to let up enough for them to reach their hotel without getting lost. Renji had curled up in his mother's lap, denying that he needed a nap. Yuffie just agreed with him, and the boy nodded off to sleep a few moments later. Yuffie put the boy to bed, returning to her visitors afterward.

"That was painless. He usually fights naps with a passion. Did you promise him sweets if he was good?" The question was directed at Rude in a teasing manner.

"No."

"Then I'm not knocking it. On to an important question: why are you being so nice?"

"Why shouldn't I, we, be nice to children? And we aren't exactly enemies anymore, are we?"

"No, but still...its weird for you to be so nice."

"Things change. You know that better than most people." Rufus looked out the window, and stood up. Rude followed suit. "The rain has let up some, so we shall take our leave. Thank you for the tea."

"You're welcome. And I hope you realize Renji will pester you to look at his butterfly, when he catches it, Rude." The man nodded, and walked to the door. Rufus gave Yuffie a slight bow, then he and Rude ran out into the rain. He was vaguely sure Yuffie had waved good-bye to them, but the rain impeeded his sight. They found the hotel easily enough, and were quite happy to get inside.

"I hope you have an idea on how to get Reno here, cause I won't be responsible for making that boy cry."

"Don't worry, boss. I've got it covered."

-----------------------------------

'Ring'

'Ring'

'Ri-' "Reno here, whattya want?"

"Yo, partner. You got a minute?"

"Sure thing, Rude. I hate paper work anyway."

"You're...doing paper work?"

"In my office, no less."

"Huh. I'm sending you a file. Take a good look at it when it gets done."

"What is it? Some hot chick you found at the beach? Rufus with a girly drink? Oh, I know, Elena wearing granny panties!"

"Nope. It's the reason you're getting your ass in that helicopter and coming over here."

"Nothing doing, Rude! I'm not going, and you should know better than to ask me."

"You just make sure and look at the file. It's done now."

"Rude, if this is Yuffie with some other guy or some shit like that, I'm going to strangle you with a malboro tentacle..."

"It isn't."

He was sitting at his desk. It was making the desk and chair quite happy to be of use to someone. The computer was estatic. It was saving and sorting files as fast as it could. Right now it was awaiting the mouse click that would tell it to open the newest file it had recived. It jumped to it the moment it happened, filling the screen with a delightful, colored picture. It was, after all, programed to do what it was told.

Reno's eyes imediately went to Yuffie, drinking in the sight of her. He had nothing but older photographs of her, so seeing her in a new one was exciting. She looked perfect. Beautiful. She was smiling down gently at a child in her arms. A child that had nodded off to sleep on her shoulder. A child that had blazing red hair and the exact same face as him.

If his jaw could have detatched itself from the rest of his skull, it would have. As it was, it hung limply while his brain tried to comprehend what his eyes were telling it. Reno completely forgot that Rude was on the phone. That he was in his dreaded office, that he had a stack of paper work the size of a small mountain in front of him. All he could see and think of was Yuffie holding that child.

HIS child.

"I'll be there in three hours."

'click'

Reno sat there in shock for a minute more, trying to think. He used his phone again, this time to check his messages. There was one that he kept saved, but never listened to. It was the last call from Yuffie. She had stopped calling after that.

'_Reno...it's Yuffie. Why won't you pick up? Fine, whatever. I've been calling you because I'm pregnant. Three months, the doctor says. You obviously don't want anything more to do with me, but I thought you should know, considering you're the father. Please, call me when you get this, Reno.' _

_'End of message.' _

"I knew I sould have answered that last call...DAMN IT!"

**And there we have it! Poor Reno, I hope he doesn't destroy any more office furniture on his way out the door...**

**R&R, please. It's what makes the world a happy place! **


	6. Chapter 6

**Ok, here we are! I just had to have some fluff. I can't help it. I love it. And Reno is so cute when combined with fluff...(ahem). I have some good stuff in the works in the next three chapters. Reno's bad-ass-ness will come to the front, and Godo comes into the picture!**

**Thanks to all you who read this. Especially to those who review. I read every one that I get, so thank you. :) **

**I don't own FF VII or any of her characters. I just use them. And use them for FLUFF. hee. **

With that, Reno was off like a shot, yelling to the young man bringing him more paper work to get someone else to do it. He was up on the roof in less than three minutes, no small feet considereing how tall the building was. There were usually two helicopters kept there, ready for take off at a moment's notice. Reno ran to the one he prefered, and that no one else touched, and went through his pre-flight inspection. It took the better part of an hour to do. He might be in a hurry, but he wouldn't get himself killed. Not when he had his own kid to meet.

At least he'd get to see her again.

He was in the air quickly, setting course for Wutai. He hoped Rude had parked the other helicopter to the side so that he could land in the city. Trudging through the wild land around Wutai, in the mud and rain no less, wasn't something he wanted to do. Reno had said he would be there in three hours, and he meant it. A two hour helicopter flight was no laughing matter. Most pilots only went for thrity minute stints, not two hours. There was simply a lot of physical work involved with flying one. A flight to Wutai was no worse than leaving the Northern Crater, but it was still exhausting.

By the time Wutai was only a few miles away, visibility was minimal. He was flying by radar, but it was still unnerving not to see where he was going. The landing pad was well lit, at least, so when he managed to find it, he'd most likely be homefree.

"Attention, Wutai Tower. Betsy One requesting landing permission. Do you copy?"

"Copy, Betsy One. Pad Beta is available for landing. Visibility on ground is minimal, use extreme caution."

"Roger."

As it was, he nearly landed on the other Shinra helicopter. It was a near miss, but he managed to avoid it and land on the other lighted pad next to it without incident.

"You're one hell of a pilot to land that in this weather."

"That's what you do when you're the best."

"Haha. Welcome to Wutai, Betsy One."

Reno locked the helicopter down before running out into the rain. Rain was fine so long as he stayed dry, but that wasn't the case for him at the moment. Not even an avalanche was going to stop him today. He had just made it in under the three hour mark, and was very smug about it. He lost his amusement as he neared Yuffie's house. Rude had send the address along with the picture. It had taken a while to find it in the downpour, but here it was. He paused with his foot on the first step, looking at the door. He shook himself like a dog, then forced his feet to go up the stairs and to the door. Lights were on, so she was home.

_Come on, Reno. You've come this far. You landed in this miserable weather. You can knock on her door. _

He knocked.

The door opened.

And there she was, staring at him in shock. He couldn't blame her. It had been over three years since they had seen each other. Three years, but every emotion he had been avoiding for those three years hit him hard. Reno could feel his legs try to give way under their pressure. Yuffie looked him in the eye, seemingly on the verge of tears.

"Don't cry, Yuffie. I won't be able to live with myself if I make you cry again..."

"RENO!" Yuffie launched her body at him, arms outstretched. He assumed it would be to strangle him. While they did wrap around his neck, it wasn't a strangle hold. Her momentum nearly knocked him over when she hit him. It took him a moment to realize that she was actually holding him, sobbing onto his already soaked clothing. He had only heard her cry once before, but the sound of it was enough to make him want to go dig his own grave and lie in it. Now she was sobbing whole heartedly, not caring in the least that she was getting as wet as he was while doing it.

"Yuffie..." His arms wrapped around her tightly, pulling her closer and burying his face in her hair. "...I didn't know, I swear I didn't know...I'm sorry. I was being a shit-head, and a coward, and I don't deserve for you to cry over me. I'm sorry." She cried harder, which made him feel worse.

"Don't...you take...my words away, you red-headed turkey...I was going to...lecture and yell and scream..."

"You still can. Don't let me stop you." She laughed feebly against his chest. Reno removed one arm from her body to retreave a hankercheif. "Here, it's as wet as the rest of me, but..." Yuffie laughed again, taking the proffered piece of fabric and wiping her face and nose.

"You're wet."

"It's raining. I ran all the way from the landing pads."

"In this weather? You'll catch a cold that way! Get inside and get dry! Now!"

"Wait. The kid's name. What is it?"

"Renji."

"Does he know I'm his dad? Does he hate me? Does he hate bugs?" Yuffie laughed out loud at the last question.

"Yes, no, and he only likes butterflies. Anything else?"

"Yeah..." Reno rubbed the back of his wet head akwardly. "Is there...someone else? I mean, I know its been a long time, but...I mean...I...I love you, Yuffie. That's why I got scared and went all shit-headed. I understand if there is, but I wanted to-" His mouth was covered with one of her tiny hands, effectively stopping him from speaking.

"Don't be more of an idiot than you already are, Reno. There isn't anyone. Okay? So stop worrying about it."

"Promise?" A nod. "And I realize you're going to yell at me later on, but you're not going to hit me any time soon?" Another nod, this time with a ghost of a smile. "Good." Yuffie's cry of surprise was muffled by his mouth on hers. It wasn't the kind of impassioned kiss that simply said 'I want you', it was more than just that. He had the girl he loved in his arms, and he had another chance to be with her. Reno was estatic when she returned his kiss, wrapping her arms back around his neck. If his soaked clothes hadn't been making him cold, that kiss would have led to other things. As it was, the kiss ended and he continued to hold her agianst him. "Alright, now I'll go and get dry."

"Alright." Yuffie grabbed his hand and lead him inside the house. It was warm and cozy, with toys and remote controls sitting in odd places and paintings on the walls. Yuffie noticed him looking at the paintings. "Renji made them. Aren't they great?"

"Shit, a three year old made those? Isn't it supposed to be a life-time acheivement to make these things!"

"Yeah. Renji's special. He's super smart, Reno. Genius smart."

"Really?"

"Yes, really, and watch your foul mouth around him. No bad words." Reno nodded and was about to walk where ever it was Yuffie was leading him, preferably a bathroom with towels in it, when a little boy walked out of a hallway, wearing a large shirt as a smock and holding a paint brush.

"Mommy, who was-" Reno looked at his son in person for the first time, and found his own face looking back at him. It was just like in all those pictures of him as a kid. Renji's eyes went wide, and he dropped his brush on the carpet. Reno was rooted to the spot, unable to take his eyes off the miniature version of himself. Yuffie squeezed his hand slightly, breaking his paralysis. He took a step forward, and that was all the boy needed to run and launch himself at Reno. "DADDY!"

Reno caught him, kneeling down before he fell. The boy didn't cry, but he was wrapping his little arms around his neck much like Yuffie had done. It took a minute for everything to sink in. He was holding his son. His son. Yuffie's son. He was a father.

"Hey, kid. Sorry I didn't come sooner. I'm really, really sorry."

"It's okay."

"No it's not. I should have been here, for you and your mom."

"But, you came here! Now everything'll be okay."

"Yeah." Reno felt a tear threaten fall down his face. This child didn't know him, yet he had complete, unwaivering faith and trust in him to make everything 'okay'. "Yeah, it'll be alright. I've never been a dad before. Hope I do alright."

"You'll be a great daddy. But how come you're all wet?"

"I walked in the rain, kid."

"You should get dry. I don't want a sick daddy. Right, Mommy?" Yuffie nodded, and Renji disengaged his arms. "Oh no! I got paint and ink on your shirt!"

"Don't worry about it. I've got plenty others." Reno pulled a medium sized bag from his back, holding it up for the boy to see. Renji looked relieved, then looked in his hands for something.

"MOMMY! I dropped my brush in the carpet!"

"It's okay, Renj. We can clean it up. Let Daddy get changed and dry, and we'll have dinner. Let's go clean up."

Yuffie took Renji's hand, and directed Reno to a room on the left, which turned out to be her bedroom. He looked at her, surprised, but she waved him on and went with their son into another room. He turned on a light, and found that there were no bright colors anywhere. It was simple, and relaxing and not at all what he thought Yuffie would have. Plants, including bamboo, grew in large pots in the corners and smaller plants were in holders on the wall or hanging from the ceiling. Mahogany furniture, almost black in color, contrasted with the cream walls beautifully. No carvings or murals adorned the furniture and walls. There were, in fact, prayer scrolls hanging on the walls. A door at the other end of the room opened into a bathroom that was decorated in a similar fashion, but featured lotus blossoms as the main theme. The tub was lined on the outside with natural rock, polished smooth enough not to break skin, and contiued on the wall beside the tub. The tub looked like it was filled by a water fall made from rocks. The shower was the same way, even the knobs were rock, made to blend into the wall and look natural.

It showed just how much Yuffie had changed for her to give up the bright colors she had adored years ago. It was beautifully done, and Reno found that he liked it the more he looked at it. It took a few minutes to figure out just how to get the shower to work, but after that it was smooth sailing. He had grabbed one of his travel bags from the helicopter, grateful to himself for knowing he might just need them one day. It held all the essentials for travel.

He felt better after the shower, and ready to take on anything else that might jump at him today. He left his wet clothes hanging on a towel rack to dry and ventured back into the main part of the house. Yuffie was busy in the kitchen with Renji, who was tearing up lettuce for a salad while standing on a chair next to the counter. Renji and Yuffie both smiled at him when he entered.

"Can I do anything?"

"You can chop the veggies. I'm not allowed to use a knife."

"Renji..." Reno watch in amusement as his son rolled his eyes, and recognized that he did the same exact thing.

"Vegetables." Renji turned to him, speaking in a conspiring whisper. "Mommy says that I'll be a ape and eat bugs if I don't use whole words."

"I hate bugs..." Renji nodded his aggreement, wrinkling his nose. "Well, we can use our own words then. Make some up. That way we don't turn into apes."

"Like what?"

"Like, splendifferous. Or, bugalicious!" Renji giggled, and they both turned to look at Yuffie, who was standing with her hands on her hips. "Uh-oh, busted!" He whispered, making Renji giggle again. She gave Reno a significant look, and pointed at some vegetables on a cutting board next to where Renji was stationed. He sighed loudly, slumping his shoulders and dragging his feet over to the awaiting vegetables. Renji giggled yet again, and Reno caught Yuffie smiling widely at the boy, then at him. "So I just cut them? No peeling or anything fancy?"

"Nothing fancy. And make sure you use more than one cut for each one, Reno."

"Oh come on, I know how to cut vegetables for a salad, Yuffie. I did learn how to cook, you know."

"When was this, Mr. I-burn-water?"

"When I found a bug in my soup." Both he and Renji made the same face, causing Yuffie to laugh. "If I make my food, then I don't have to worry about sh- stuff like that."

"Was there really a bug in it, Daddy?"

"Yep. It had all these furry legs...and big eyes..." Reno shuddered, and Renji made a face again. "It was really gross. Grosser than brussel sprouts."

"I don't like those either. I think that's what mean people eat for breakfast."

"Me too. You're a pretty smart kid to know that mean people eat brussel sprouts for breakfast." Both Renji and Yuffie laughed. "What? I'm serious."

**I hate brussel sprouts. I love veggies, but I HATE those things. Asparagas, brocolli, I love those. Just not those tiny cabbage things...(shudders). I'm editing the next two chapters, so look for updates! **

**R&R please! Thanks!**

**Tagg **


	7. Chapter 7

**Back for more? lol Glad to see that. This chapter has a little bit of fluff in it, but not much. It has some inner thoughts from Reno, and Yuffies responses to the ones he tells her about. There are going to be reminders of the bad things Reno did in the rest of the story, but I'm not concentraiting on those. One or two will be there in detail later on, but that's about it. Enjoy!**

**I don't own FF VII or any of the characters in it. I just use them to make my muse, Carla, happy. )**

Renji was asleep on his father's shoulder, much like he had been in the picture Rude had sent. Reno did not want to let the boy go for some reason. He wanted to keep holding him, and brush the vagrant lock of hair out of his face every ten minutes because it kept falling back down. Renji was just a warm bundle of child, sleeping peacefully.

"Here, I'll put him to bed. He usually falls asleep later, but I guess all the excitement wore him out." Yuffie spoke quietly, and gently pulled the boy from him. They dissapeared down the hall, leaving Reno to his thoughts for a moment. He stared after them, then stood up, patting his jacket pockets. He walked outside after finding his cigarettes and lighter. Reno lit a cigarette quickly, taking a long drag before leaning on one of the posts supporting the patio roof. He closed his eyes, letting his head hit the wood with a soft 'thud'.

"He wants you to take him for a helicopter ride." Reno nearly leapt off the patio at the sound of Yuffie's voice. She had doned a sweater and was holding it around her small frame with one hand, while the other was busy setting an ash tray down on the railing behind him.

"What? I thought he was alseep."

"He is. But when I told him you were a pilot, he asked if you would take him for a ride. Will you?"

"Yeah." He took another drag before using the ash tray. "I wasn't going to ash on your patio, you know."

"I should hope not." Yuffie sat herself down on a swinging bench, leaving enough room for him to join her if he wanted to.

"Yuffie..." She looked up at him, her eyes intent on his face. "Are you sure you want this? I mean, I'm not exactly the fatherly-type. I have bad habits, and I've done some some pretty fucked-up things. You don't know half of what I did working under Mr. President." He always refered to the original leader of the Shinra Company as 'Mr. President'. It was a great way to turn his title into an insult. "What are we going to do when he finds out what the Turks really did under that nut-ball? You want him to know that his father was little more than an assasin? To find out how I used to use women and how..." Reno winced inwardly at what he was about to say. "...how I treated you? Running around with different women just to try and forget about you? Which didn't work, by the way."

Yuffie cocked her head to the side, then patted the swing she was on. He watched her for a moment then took the ash tray and set it on a small table near the swing. He sat down, rubbing his face with his hands, one of which still held his lit cigarette.

"Yes, this is what I want. Renji needs his father, Reno. And..." Yuffie pulled his hands away from his face, taking his cigarette and putting it out in the ash tray before scooting over next to him. She wrapped one of his arms around her, and leaned on his shoulder. "...I need you too. I still love you, Reno, and I can do it on my own, but...I don't want to. You'll get used to being a dad. I'm not exactly the motherly type, you know, but I've managed. I don't think Renji will turn into a crazy teenager hell bent on getting tattoos and piercings and stealing cars."

"He seems like a great kid. You did a good job." Reno relaxed against the swing, allowing the arm around Yuffie to slide down to her waist.

"You might want to hold that thought until you see him throw a fit over a fudge-cicle." He chuckled, forgetting that Yuffie had taken away his cigarette unfinished. She was the only one who could do that and get away with it. "But thanks. Reno, do you not want to be part of his life? I understand if you don't. Having a kid thrust on you when you least expect it isn't very fun. Trust me, I know."

"Are you kidding? After having the kid fall asleep on my shoulder and run up and hug me like that? I used to laugh at all the emotional shit parents would tell me about their kids. Now I get why they say it. I mean, it's like he thinks I'm capable of making the clouds rain orange soda or something. I'd be a moron to not want to be a part of that. Makes my ego even bigger to know he thinks I can make it rain orange soda." Yuffie laughed and hit him in the stomach.

"I'm beign serious!"

"So am I. Total ego boost, I'm telling you." She laughed again, then fell silent as the swing creaked back and forth. It was a comfortable silence, one that made him want it to last forever. One last thought came into his mind before he could let the silence rest. "What's Godo likely to do when he sees me here?"

"Well, he can't kill you anymore, cause the blood-feud is over," Reno raised an eyebrow at that. Wutai was such a peaceful place. Blood-feud had not been called in five generations anywhere in the city. "...but he won't be happy, I can tell you that much."

"I'll deal with Godo tomorrow. I just want to make sure I wake up tomorrow and this isn't all a dream."

"Me too, Reno, me too."

"Are you sure you don't want to make me sleep outside tonight? I'll understand if you do."

"Well, that depends. Did you really just go to dinner with those women?"

"Recently, yeah. I'll admit I did my best to forget you, Yuffie. I really did. I couldn't even tell you the names of the women I slept with for the first year." He felt her muscles tighten under his hand, and he made sure not to move and chose his next words carefully. "Then I finally woke up one day and realized what a fuck-up I'd been. And yes, I was very careful with them, I promise. You know you're the only one I ever went bare-back with." He had meant it to be funny, but it was the truth and she knew it. He felt her relax against him agian. "Would it make you feel better to know that I always said your name during sex?" Yuffie giggled and snuggled herself closer against him. "And that you were much, MUCH better in bed than they were?"

"Now you're laying it on a bit thick, Turkey."

"It's true. You think just anyone can make me yell out obsenities in bed? Or make me want to please them, for that matter? No ma'am. You alone get that honor."

"I always did like you to talk dirty."

Reno felt, more than saw, her smile in the darkness. Now he could let the silence go on.

**YAY for writing Reno. I love the man more and more. Next chapter had Godo fun-ness in it, so keep an eye out!**

**Tagg**


	8. Chapter 8

**Aaaaaaaaaaaaaand here it is! Fun with Godo! lol I like this chapter. Reno is just so...RENO in it. :P **

**Right this second, I'm outside in the beautiful weather with the dog, and loving it. Only problem is my laptop battery is going to die soon. Have to find a nice long extention cord...**

**I don't own FF VII or any of the characters in it. I just use them. **

The morning sun was doing its best to wake the world, using its cheerful rays to rouse the creatures of the planet. It sent forth warmth and light, chasing away the darkness of night.

Not everyone loved the sun for being such an early riser. As it was, this particular morning, one creature was cursing the sun with words that would have made it blush, had it heard them. As it was, the sun did not hear him, so it continued on its course up the sky, getting brighter and brighter.

Reno was mentally cursing the sun for waking him at this un-godly hour. He was doing it mentally because he did not want to wake Yuffie. She was sleeping peacfully in his arms, and it would take more than a sunrise to make him move and wake her up. The only bad part was the fact that his arm was going numb. As it was, Yuffie stirred on her own, blinking sleepily up at him.

"Morning."

"I hadn't noticed. You had to have an east facing window, didn't you?"

"Yes. I like the sun."

"Even when it wakes you up before any sane person would want to be?"

"Mmm hmmm." Yuffie snuggled herself against him, turning over so that her back was facing the light streaming through the curtains. "I missed how you smelled."

"I bet. When does Renji wake up, usually?"

"Hmm...sometime around seven. Why?"

"Good. I'll go and have a nice morning chat with Godo before breakfast."

"Reno," Yuffie woke up enough to look worried. "Godo's no push-over."

"Worried about me? I'm a big boy, I can take care of myself. And not get hurt in the process." Yuffie still gave him a worried look. "Fine, I won't hurt him either. Does that make you happy?"

"Marginally. I still get to yell at you, remember that." Yuffie sank back to the matress with a yawn, doing her best to be a dead weight on Reno's arm.

"Trying to keep me in bed, Yuffie? You don't have to try, you know. I'll stay here with you, no problem."

"Ha, only if I'm naked. You hate staying in bed. Go on, before I really do decide to keep you here."

"Alright."

Reno was very reluctant to get out of bed, but he needed to take care of a few things. Number one on that list is a shower and brushed teeth. Number two is getting dressed. Number three is going to talk to Godo. Number four is to have a 'chat' with his partner and his boss.

That seemed a great start for the day, so he set about doing the first two things on the list. That accomplished, he left the house, with a good-bye kiss from Yuffie, and began on number three. Godo, he knew, was an early riser, and also in the best mood early in the morning, thus the reason he was going at this time of day to see him.

_Waking up at the ass-crack of dawn is just wrong unless you're getting paid for it. I could have used some extra sleep. This is going to be a boat load of fun, Reno, going to see the father of the girl you knocked-up. You should bring a camera, so that you can remember him trying to choke you. _

He made his way into the home of Godo, smirking at the startled servents. The door to the man's study was open, so he went in and closed it without announcing himself. Godo didn't even look up from his tea cup when he spoke.

"Really, Gorki, is locking the door necessary?"

"Sure it is, old man. I thought you'd like to have a private chat with me." Godo looked up in astonishment, then his face flushed purple with anger when he saw who it was that had entered his study. "Careful, you might pop a blood vessel os something if you keep it up."

"YOU!" Godo stood up and stomped his way over to Reno, his whole body shaking with barely contained rage. "How dare you show your face here, Shinra scum! You've done enough damage. Leave here at once!"

"See, I can't do that." Godo raised a hand to hit him, but Reno just brushed it off and stared him down with a smirk on his face. "I promised Renji I'd take him for a ride in my helicopter, and go to the mountains with him and Yuffie to catch butterflies. They'd be sad if I just dissappeared."

"You...you wretch! You just waltz into their lives like you did nothing wrong? What in Leviaton's name do you think you're doing?"

"I didn't waltz. More like a mambo." Godo started sputtering at the comment. Reno sat down in a comfortable chair, taking out a cigarette and lighting it before he continued. "And I intend to keep on being in their lives. But, there's one little problem. You don't like me. Never have. That's fine. I don't give a rat's ass if you like me or not. I do care, however, about their happiness." Reno paused to take a drag. "See, if you go on hating me, which is fine with me, you make them miserable with your snide comments and glares. So, we have two choices." Godo was still fuming, but he was frowning. He always frowned when he was thinking on something. "Choice one: you keep being a hateful old bastard and make them miserable. Choice two: you and I be civil, and make them happy."

Reno leaned back, staying quiet while the older man thought and fumed. He watched in amusement as the two emotions battled each other. He knew Godo would take choice two, but he also knew that Godo would do anything to mess things up for him. He didn't trust the old man any further than he could throw a car, which turned out to be not at all. Reno just finished his cigarette in silence. Godo eventually sat down, staring at him. It wasn't quite a glare, but it was a second cousin to one.

"Fine. I don't want them unhappy. But I swear, you step out of line, and I'll make sure you-"

"Don't try to threaten me, old man. It doesn't work. Sephiroth couldn't do it, and you sure as hell can't. We're making an agreement, not having a pissing contest. Glad you chose number two. Makes everyone happy. Except you, but hey, you can't win 'em all." Reno got up and unlocked the door, keeping an eye on Godo. He glare he saw directed at him confirmed his suspisions about Godo's un-trustworthiness. "So, see you 'round, and enjoy your breakfast."

Reno left, but he did not feel relieved. Godo really did hate him, even before Renji came into the picture. A nagging feeling made him wonder just how far Godo would go to get rid of him. It wouldn't be anything he couldn't handle, but he still worried about what might happen to Yuffie and Renji. He knew better than most what people were capable of when trying to weasle out of something. _Besides, there's always option three: kill him. I'd rather not, cause he **is **Yuffie's dad and all, but the second I catch him mucking around where he shouldn't, I'm putting a cap in his ass. He'll do something deadly if I don't stop him, and I'm not about to die at the hands of a piece of shit like Godo. Hell, he might take things out on Yuffie and Renji. If he does, he's a dead man. Either that or move to Midgar. _He shook his head in an effort to clear it.

"All right." Reno looked at his watch, which showed seven-thirty, and smiled. "Time to go and talk to my partner!"

**And that's it for now! I have another chapter being edited, so be on the look out for it! Enjoy and REVIEW PLEASE. **

**Tagg**


	9. Chapter 9

**So, here is the new chapter! I love this one. Revenge is so sweet...especially when you know your targets credit card numbers...ahem. There is a small bit here about Reno's childhood, which will come into play later on in the story. This is going to be longer than I initially planned, but hey, its good so I'll keep it going for a while. Makes you guys happy, right? **

**Oh, and thanks, Cloudmetei, for the message. It totally made up for me having to work late while sick. : ) And thanks to all you who read this. You make me happy too! Eventhoughyoudon'treviewbuthat'sokay.**

**I don't own FF VII of any of the characters. I just use them. Cause I'm good like that. Yeah...**

Reno smiled to himself while walking into the inn his fellow Turks and boss were in. There was no way to get Rufus out and about before eight, so he had plenty of time to 'talk' with Rude. The innkeeper looked up at him in surprise. He was dressed as a Turk, so there was no reason for him to stand out enough for the guy to look at him like that. Reno's smile widened as he decided to have a bit of fun.

"They staying in the usual rooms, Soodi?" The man behind the counter nodded vigorously. He looked nervous still. "Hey, what's eating you?"

"Sir...does Lord Godo know you are here?"

"Sure he does. Just had a nice chat with him." Reno hid his amusement carefully. His position here was still on the line when it came to the locals. People in Wutai just did not raise children alone unless one parent was dead. He had unwittingly committed a faux pas. "You can relax, you know. Although, I think I should warn you that I'll be taking Renji up for a ride in my helicopter sometime before dinner. You can warn your other guests or something." The man's eyes widened slightly when he mentioned his sons name.

"I...Renji would enjoy that, sir."

"I hope so. And how about you stop being polite for thirty seconds and tell me what you really want to say."

"It's not my place, sir."

"Sure it is. Yuffie still has a shit-ton of yelling at me to do, so a little more abuse won't hurt too much."

"I...why did you stay away? Surely you knew about your own son! How could you let him grow up without you? Do you know how hard it is for that poor boy to be so alone, and for Lady Kisagari to be on her own? What kind of man are you?" It all came out in a rush of angry words. He was now breathing deeply, trying to regain control.

"Anything else?"

"Not at the moment sir."

"Well, three things. One, I didn't know about Renji til yesterday. Two, it's my own damn fault I didn't know. And three, you know damn well I'm not a candidate for 'Man of the Year'. So save your breath when it comes to that. I do, however, intend to do my best for both of them. You've got kids, Soodi, right?"

"Yes, sir."

"So, how the hell do you be a good father? Cause I've got no clue." Soodi blinked at him for a moment and then the man bowed. People in Wutai were always bowing, and it usually drove Reno crazy. "I didn't do anything to make you bow, man."

"Yes, you did. You just aknowledged your wish to be a good father. There is some honor in you yet, Reno of the Turks. It is something you must learn on your own, though." Reno sighed quietly, but it was not lost on Soodi. "But, if you wish, I can tell you some things that would be helpful."

"Well, I was going to throw a bucket on ice water on my partner, but this seems to be more important, right?"

"Yes."

-----a short time later------

"Hey, Soodi, thanks." Reno waved at the bowing man as he walked down the halls of the inn. He truely had been looking forward to drenching his partner, but Soodi was a wealth of information he was not going to miss out on. Besides, the innkeeper was well known and well respected by the whole city. Having him as an ally was no laughing matter.

Having a box full of women's underwear and months supply of Summer's Eve Feminine Cleansing Cloths charged on his partners corperate account, however, was.

Reno took the time to place the order on the payphone in the lobby before he went to see Rude. It was all he could do not to laugh manically while placing the order. It was not the standard payback for him, but Reno had kept this scheme to himself until there was a good time to use it.

Once he reached the set of rooms reserved specifically for the Turks and Rufus, he listened. They were all still asleep, apparently, which was what he wanted. Rude was quietly snoring when Reno snuck in. He spied a half eaten box of chocolate cookies, and helped himself to a few, sitting down at the small table the inn provided and putting his feet up on the other chair in the room. When his partner showed no signs of waking, he took matters into his own hands. He a few of the cookies and began throwing them at Rude's sleeping form. The man began to show signs of life after the forth cookie that hit his ear. Reno went back to eating his selected cookies, waiting for Rude to realize he was there.

Rude groggily blinked his eyes open, and brushed a few crumbs from his face with one hand before turning to the direction the light was coming from. Even with the blinds drawn, the morning light still streamed in. Rude was cursing to himself about how he would shoot the sun one day for waking him up.

"Didn't your mom ever teach you never to eat cookies in bed, Rude?" The man jumped at the sound of a voice in his room. He visibly relaxed when he realized it was his partner sitting at his table and not an intruder. The fact that Reno had to have broken in made no difference. "What did you do, hug the cookies in your sleep? Sloppy, man, just sloppy. You've got crumbs on your face." Rude rubbed his face, finding that there was indeed a multitude of crumbs on his face, as well as pieces of cookie in the sheets of his bed.

"I must eat in my sleep or somthing."

"Yeah. You must." Rude gave him a suspicious look, and Reno laughed inwardly as Rude began to question himself on his sleeping habits. "Sleep well?"

"Yeah...when'd you get here? Just now?"

"Nope. Last night." Rude's head snapped up quickly.

"And?"

"That was a pretty mean way to tell me I had a kid, partner. Surprising me like that. If I wasn't such a nice guy, I'd take it out on you here and now." He smiled, making Rude look around suspiciously, trying to find out if Reno had sabotaged anything in the room. Seeing nothing immediately, he turned a frown on Reno.

"Like you'd have believed me by just telling you?"

"Good point. It was still mean."

"Humph."

"Kid's cute though. I hope he doesn't turn out like me. How scary would that be?"

"I'd go retire on a mountain somewhere with a shotgun, shooting anything with red hair that came near."

"Shit yeah, I'd do the same thing."

"So, what are you going to do?"

"Whaddya mean, what am I going to do? I'm not going to just let my own kid grow up without a dad. I'm a bad guy, but damn, I'm not THAT bad. It's not easy growing up on your own." Reno frowned back at his partner, making Rude feel guilty. Rude knew how Reno had grown up, without a father, and then found his mother beaten to death by a John that didn't want to pay for her services.

"Hey, I didn't mean it like that."

"I know. But there's no way in hell I'm going to let that happen to them. Not that Yuffie would let it, but you know what I mean." Reno took a deep breath and banished the memories of his childhood. He stole a cigarette from Rude's pack on the table and lit it. Rude grunted at the theft, but said nothing about it. "Who else knows?"

"Rufus. The Teenage Turks were too busy groping each other to notice the kid."

"I bet. What does the Boss think?"

"No idea. He wasn't pissed, if that's what you're talking about. He likes the kid, too."

"Uncle Rufus, huh? That's funny."

"Yeah."

"Alright, I gotta go. But, thanks for telling me." Rude nodded as his partner got up and left, taking a handful of cookies with him. "See you around."

"Yeah." Rude got out of bed once he left, and went over to the table. He swore violently when he found only three cookies left. "What the hell? I had half a box left..."

**Reno...Turk, Father, and COOKIE THIEF! What kind of role model is this? Stealing cookies...that's low. No one touches my cookies unless they have a death wish. (looks around while hugging bag of cookies to chest) **

**Thanks for reading! Send in a review! **

**Tagg**


	10. Chapter 10

**This is a longer chapter than the rest. I just couldn't make a 'simple' fluff story. It's still cute though. And the next chapter is good, if I do say to myself. Which I do. Reno and bugs just don't mix well...**

**I don't own FF VII or any of her characters. I'm just using them for my own, non-monetary purposes. **

He was almost back at Yuffie's house when his cell phone rang. It was her number, and he answered it just as the house came into view with her and Renji sitting on the porch stairs.

"Reno, where are you? We're ready to leave and you said you'd come!"

"Look to your right, sex-kitten."

"Wha...you idiot why didn't you just yell and wave?"

"For the same reason I'm talking to you on a phone when your three feet in front of me." He laughed as Yuffie hung up on him. She was glaring at him, but he just smirked at her. She smiled back eventually. Renji, meanwhile, ran up and hugged his leg until Reno picked the boy up. "Sorry I'm a little late, buddy. Had to do a couple things this morning before we left."

"It's okay. Mommy just got done helping me tie my shoes." Renji was happily hugging Reno's neck, snuggling against his father like a cat. "Can we go, now?"

"Yeah. Hey, you want to go for a ride later, Renji?"

"A ride?" Renji left off snuggling to stare at him in wonder. "IN A 'COPTER?"

"Shhh! It's still early, Renji. People might be sleeping." Yuffie gently repremanded.

"Yeah, in a 'copter." Reno grinned when Yuffie once again glared at him. He rolled his eyes at her. "Helicopter. Looks like you and me have the Pronunciatoin Police on our tails, buddy." Renji giggled, his eyes still wide at the prospect of a helicopter ride.

"Can I get a ride, Daddy? Please?"

"Yeah. Your mom said it was okay, so we'll go. I just have to make sure everything is safe before we take off."

"Safe?"

"You know, make sure there's fuel, that the little dials work, the rotors are attatched...make sure it works right. It was a looooooooooooooooong flight from Midgar, so I need to make sure it's safe for us."

"Oh, okay. Mommy, will you come with us?" Yuffie made a slightly desperate face at the prospect of riding in a moving vehicle. "You said Daddy's a good pilot. Please?"

"Yeah, come on, Mommy!" Reno chimed in, mimicing Renji perfectly.

"I think you should go with just Daddy. Don't you want to spend time with him?"

"Yes. But I want to spend time with you too, Mommy."

"I'll have a special dinner ready for you when you come back from flying, with sundaes for dessert. How about that?" Renji considered for a moment before nodding his head. He then proceeded to tell Reno about all the buildings they were passing as they walked and the people who lived in them. He had extensive knowledge on who owned what cat or dog in the neighborhood.

Renji was now walking between Yuffie and Reno, each hand holding one of his parents'. They became disengaged a time or two as Renji waved to the few people that were out and about in the morning. One was an old woman, sweeping her porch. A grey furred dog sat at the bottom of the steps. The dog got up and slowly padded his way over to the street, waiting for them to reach him.

"That's Mrs. Yu. And the dog is Bartie. Hi Bartie!" Renji let go of both their hands to run up to the dog who was wagging his grey tail like a puppy. "Hi Mrs. Yu!" The old woman set aside her broom and walked up to them at the same slow pace as Bartie had. Renji was happily rubbing the big dog's ears and neck. It was a funny site, seeing as the dog was half a foot taller than Renji was.

"Well, who's this strapping young lad petting my dog?"

"It's me, Renji!"

"Renji! My word, you've grown at least three feet since yesterday then!" Renji giggled and recieved a slobbery kiss from Bartie at the same time. The woman looked up from Renji, nodding pleasantly at Yuffie before looking at Reno. "And who might you be? Reno, if that hair is any indication. Welcome to Wutai, finally."

"Thanks." He was just a bit perturbed by this woman. She had no hostility toward him, yet Reno did not want to be around when this woman got angry.

"Daddy's going to the mountains with us to catch butterflies! And then he's taking me for a ride in his big 'copter!"

"Is he now? You be sure and have fun then!" Renji nodded enthusiastically. "Do come by for tea sometime soon, all of you. Bartie gets so lonely without you, Renji, and I'd like some company."

"Okay!" Renji gave the big dog one last pat on the head before going back to his parents, taking each of their hands once again. "We'll come back soon! Bye!" Mrs. Yu waved them off, returning to her broom while Bartie watched their departure. They were outside the city before too long, walking down a well worn path that was patrolled by guards on Chocobos. Renji was estatic to see the large yellow birds go by, but he was careful to stay out of their way. Renji had told him to be careful on the paths, because 'getting run over by a big bird was bad'.

What Renji considered 'mountains' were large hills in a huge expanse of grassland covered in flowers. They were still glistening with morning dew for the most part. They had entered through a small gate that was surrounded by fences.

"I didn't know there was a park, here. When did they make it?"

"About a year ago. It took almost three years for it to be built. Godo started it when he found out he'd have a grandchild soon." Yuffie was scanning the area out of habit. No one wandered the world on foot without learning to take careful stock of their surroundings. "It's safe, though. The patrols go around the clock and there are some that are in the park itself. Lots of people come here to play or relax."

"Great place for kite flying...ever flown a kite, Renji?"

"No. Is it fun?"

"Only the second most fun thing in the world!"

"What's the most fun thing then?"

"Rolling Races! You roll down a hill like a log, and whoever gets to the bottom first wins."

"That sounds so fun!"

"It is! But, hey, how are we going to catch butterflies, Renji? I don't want to catch a bug in my hands..."

"Butterflies aren't bugs! I hate bugs. Butterflies are pretty and nice and don't bite." Reno smirked at Yuffie over his son's head. "Mommy's name means butterfly. And she's pretty and nice and doesn't bite." Renji let go of their hands and ran over to a cluster of blue flowers a short distance away.

"You do too bite, Yuffie." Reno was speaking softly, so that Renji would not hear. Yuffie grinned at him, the same grin he had fallen in love with years ago. It was the reason he had been interested in her in the beginning. "You know why I asked you out the first time?"

"Because I was finally eighteen and legal in Midgar?" Reno grinned, remembering the times they had spent together before her birthday. He had been very sure to keep things from getting racy until then. It had not been easy though. The legal adult age in Wutai was seventeen, and she had been anything but helpful to his plans.

"Because of how you grin at me. Remember, after we got you and Elena from that Don character?" She nodded. "Well, before we went seperate ways, you ran up and thanked me, grinning. I always remembered that afterwards. Rude kept asking me why I was smiling when we got in the helicopter. You should have seen his face when he found out who I was taking dancing after the Three Stooges were taken care of. It was classic." Yuffie smiled but remained silent. "To be honest, I was scared you'd be all 'omg EW' and leave me hanging."

"Reno, remember how I used to flirt with Phill all the time?"

"Yeah." Reno scowled, remembering Yuffie caressing the man's arm in a suggestive way. "Pissed me off."

"I did it to try and make you jealous, so that you'd take me home with you. I was so frustrated that you were playing at being an upstanding citizen. I wanted to get naked, not play."

"There's this thing called 'standards' and I don't hold with taking underage girls to bed. If you'll remember correctly, you were in my bed, naked, promptly at twelve-o-one, which was your birthday. I had the hardest time waiting long enough to get your clothes off."

"Which was why I wore something that was easy to take off." Yuffie raised her voice so that Renji could hear her. "Don't wander so far, Renji! Come back this way!"

"Mommy, the dew's still here! The butterflies won't come out til it dries." Renji said, running back to them.

"It did rain all day and night. Want to go play on the swings while we wait?"

"YES!" Renji was skipping ahead of Reno and Yuffie, who were holding each other's hands instead of their son's. The boy ran back to them every once in a while, showing them a pebble or pointing out different shaped clouds. "That one's a chocobo, see?"

Once the swings came into view, they all ran up to them. Reno investigated the area while Renji chose a swing and knocked the water off of it. It was a wooden swing set, complete with slide. Wood mulch covered the ground, lending a distinct aroma to the area. He was distracted by Renji's squeal of delight from the swings. Yuffie was pushing him while he was pumping his legs to get higher. Reno walked back and took over the pushing from Yuffie, giving Renji a bit of height.

"I don't want him to fall, Reno."

"He won't fall. Relax, Yuffie. Don't you remember wanting to fly to the moon from your swing?"

"Yes, but..."

"Just relax. He's holding on tight and its not really that high." Yuffie sighed and sat down on the next swing after brushing off the water. She was moving gently, watching him push Renji. He snuck in a good push on Yuffie's back, sending her higher in the air than she anticipated. She had to grab the ropes to keep from flying off. Yuffie glared at him as he continued to push Renji as though nothing had happened. He pushed her again, and this time, she was prepared for it, soaring through the air at nearly the same pace as her son. The boy smiled at her. He had the same smile when he was truely happy as Reno did.

"Can I jump off the swing?"

"Renji, you fell and hurt your knee last time, remember?"

"But it was fun before that!"

"I said no." Renji pouted.

"But I want to!"

"And I said no. No more buts."

Renji stayed quiet after that, but Reno gave Yuffie a curious look. One of the things Soodi had told him was not to disagree with Yuffie in front of Renji. He was not used to doing something so diplomatic, but he did know that Yuffie was the only authority figure Renji knew. No point conteracting that just because he was here now. He was about to say something to change the subject when he heard a noise. It was soft, and barely audible, but both he and Yuffie looked up at the same time. It was the sound of a rope breaking. He quickly stopped Renji's swing, and got him off despite a great deal of protesting on Renji's part. Yuffie was keeping the boy away from the swing as Reno took a closer look.

Near the middle of the length of rope was a cut, about three quarters the way through.

"Someone cut the rope..."

"What? Kids play on these swings! Who would cut one?"

"I don't know." Reno pulled out a knife from a sheath on his back and cut both supporting ropes off near the top, keeping well away from the middle cut. "Used a sharp knife. Small one though. Had to make multiple cuts." He made a face at the rope, then turned back to Yuffie. "Anything like this ever happened here before?"

"No, This place is patrolled, I told you. No one gets in without being seen by one of the guards."

"In a town full of ninjas, you say there is absolutely no way anyone got in here and cut this?" Yuffie remained silent, not wanting to admit that someone from her home would do something like endanger a child. "Who else knew we were coming here today?"

"Just Rude and Rufus. I didn't tell anyone else."

"Godo knew." Yuffie threw him a dangerous look. "Hey, I'm just saying someone might have overheard me tell him. I'm not blaming him." Yuffie scowled, then frowned in worry. Reno directed his next words at Renji. "Hey, this your favorite swing, Renji?" The boy nodded, but he looked puzzled. "We'll see about getting it fixed soon. Kay?"

"What happened to the swing?" The voice belonged to a man on top of a chocobo, wearing a green uniform and a hat. He did not act officious. He simply wanted information.

"Hang on a sec." Reno turned back to his family. _Family? Is that what we are? Man, I'm going soft..._"Why don't you go play on the jungle gym for a minute or two? I'll be right there." Yuffie nodded, and pulled Renji along after her as he stared back at his father. Reno smiled and waved, waiting for the boy to turn around. When he did, Reno went back to the chocobo rider. "You got a name?"

"Tiam. Why did you cut the swing ropes?"

"Some one cut them before I did. I'll show you if you'll get off that damn bird." The man frowned, but dismounted. "Look." Reno held out the length of rope with the cut in the middle. "Some one came in and cut it. Fresh too. No water in the rope fibers. Did you notice anyone coming in here this morning, a little after seven thirty maybe?"

"No. But I'll get with the outter patrols and find out for certain. Good thing you caught it, else someone could have gotten hurt. I'll have it replaced immediately." Tiam started to turn back to his chocobo, who was waiting good naturedly nearby. Reno grabbed his arm before he could move more than a few inches.

"That was cut this morning. On the swing my son likes. And few people knew we were coming here today. What does that say to you, Tiam?"

"It says two things. You're Renji's father and you think someone is trying to hurt him."

"Good deductions. Here's the kicker. Why would anyone want to hurt Renji?"

"To get at you, for some reason. I won't say there aren't those that don't like you. But no one hates you enough to harm a child to get to you."

"Don't be so sure. I want to know why the hell someone's playing a game that involves my kid. Just me and I'd accept it, but not with them in the picture. I want to know if you find or see anything. I'm not asking you to break any oaths of office or shit like that. I just want to know before it goes up the ladder too far." Tiam looked at him, then the direction Yuffie and Renji were in.

"I will make my reports to my superior. If I happen to write a second copy and you happen to find it, I expect it to be burned. I tarnish my honor on this for the child's sake, not yours, and you had best remember that, Reno of the Turks."

"You're the second person to call me that."

"What else are we to call you? Yuffie gives you no name beyond 'Reno'."

"And Turkey." Tiam grinned then, looking for all the world like a small boy. "Don't get ideas. Just cause I let her say it doesn't mean anyone else can."

"Of course. I must go now. Take care."

Reno did not bother to watch him leave. He walked back to where Renji was hanging upside-down from a metal bar. Reno had done much the same as a child. The playground in front of Sector 7 had been his haven. He went there at every opportunity, even skipping classes. That playground held most of the happy memories of his childhood. Seeing Renji waving at him, he pushed thoughts of his childhood away for the second time that day.

**Man, someone trying to hurt Renji to get at Reno! Who would do such a thing? Beats me...yeah right, when I have at least four more new chapters ready...**

**Tagg**


	11. Chapter 11

**I was going to make this chapter really long, but I just couldn't put you poor people through it in one sitting. It's a whole lot to read, so I broke it up. That and I wanted to leave you wanting more...just like Chinese food...at first you're full, then an hour later you're hungry for more...**

**I don't own FF VII or any character belonging to SE. I just make them hunt for butterflies. **

It was not long before the dew was gone and the world really came to life. There were entirely too many insects for Reno's taste, but Renji was having the time of his life chasing butterflies with his net. He had a net as well, and was on the look out for a winged bug that he'd much rather step on than catch. Yuffie was walking behind them both, holding a mesh container that would house the butterflies they caught. She was laughing at him, he knew, but he ignored it in favor of tracking down what Renji called a Swallow Tail. There were already two vilesome insects in the container Yuffie carried, and why they needed more Reno would never know.

Right now, both he and Renji were running around the hills after a blue butterfly. It was maddening. Just as they would get close to it, the creature would fly away. He shared a glance with Renji, and they both fell down where they stood, much to Yuffie's amusement. Reno was about to make a comment when Renji screamed. He sat up in alarm, finding the boy huddled behind him.

"What's wrong!"

"A lizard!" Renji pointed to a rock that held a small line of green on it, and Reno sighed in relief. Yuffie did the same, relaxing from the crouch she had been in. Reno got up and went to the rock, finding a small garden lizard looking up at him. He smiled at it, and gently picked it up. It sat in his hands quietly, breathing in and out. He had always like lizards for some reason. "Don't pick it up, Daddy! It'll bite!"

"Nah. Not this little guy. He eats all the bad bugs that bite you. Keeps gardens happy. He won't hurt you, see?" He walked over to where Renji was cowering behind Yuffie's legs. He sat down on the grass, and held the lizard out for Renji to see. It sat there, perfectly still, only it's chest moving as it breathed. "There, he isn't biting me. Come look at him." Renji slowly came closer, circling around until he was behind Reno before coming close. "See? He's just sitting there. He's more scared of you and me than you are of him. Look how small he is! He couldn't hurt you if he tried." He reached a finger out to stroke the lizard's back and tail. It twitched, which made Renji jump, but otherwise did not move.

A minute went by before Renji decided to take a closer look. He knelt down, eyes level with the lizard. He crept closer and closer, eventually sitting down in Reno's lap and allowing him to bring the lizard closer. He reached out a tentative finger and touched the lizard's tail. It twitched, but did nothing else.

"Told you. Just move slowly, and he won't move a whole lot. Like this." Reno took his hand in his own, and placed the boy's finger gently on the lizards back, moving it along the tail. He did it on his own next, and giggled instead of shrieked when the lizard darted up Reno's hand and onto his sleeve. "Nope, sorry little guy, no sleeve climbing for you today. Let's put him back. I think he's served his stint of duty." Reno gently set the lizard down on the grass, where it scurried away from view. "Was that so bad?"

"Nu-uh!"

Just then, something blue landing on Reno's face, making him jump back much like Renji had done at the sight of the lizard. The thing stayed there, fluttering its wings and crawling along his forehead.

"That had better be a butterfly, or I'm going to scream like a girl."

"It's the Blue Swallow Tail! Hold still, I'll get it!"

"Hurry up, will you. I hate bugs..." Renji expertly cupped the butterfly in his tiny hands, and walked over to Yuffie, who was opening the lid to the container. Reno shuddered before standing up. "I hate bugs. Creepy, crawly...look at you funny with all those eyes..." Yuffie was snickering at him, and he glared at her. She stuck her tongue out at him before setting the lid back on the container. Renji was now holding it, looking at his captured prizes.

"Okay, we got one! Now we can go back and show it to Mr. Rude!"

"Good, because it looks like rain again this afternoon." Yuffie looked at the clouds that were gathering overhead with a frown. "Let's leave now, so that we have time before it starts."

"Rain? I wanted a 'copter ride..."

"Hey, we can go tomorrow. Come one, let's go."

"You said you'd take me for a ride today!"

"I can't control the weather. It's not safe to fly in the rain, buddy. We'll go tomorrow morning, beat the rain then."

"I WANT TO GO ON A 'COPTER RIDE!"

"Renji! Don't yell like that." Renji ignored his mother, and continued to scream as tears leaked down his face. Reno watched, fighting the urge to 'make everything okay'. It was frightening to say the least. He felt like a criminal for not doing anything about Renji's tears. Yuffie sighed quietly, and waited beside Reno while the boy cried and wailed like a banshee. After a little while, he was reduced to hicupping and sniffles. Reno pulled out a handkerchief and knelt in front of his son. He still held the mesh container, which was not dented or messed up in any way, but his face was blotchy and red.

"You done?" He got a sniff and a small nod for an answer. "Good." Reno gently wiped the tears away, and Renji took the handkerchief and blew his nose, sniffing right afterward, thus negating the fact that he just blew his nose. Yuffie took it away before Reno could grab it, stowing it in a bag she had brought along. "You want to walk back, or have me carry you for a while?" Renji gave the container to Yuffie, and then held his arms up wordlessly. "Alright. Let's go, Yuffie."

The only sound out of Renji for the whole walk back to Wutai was that of a sniffle. He did not seem to hold a grudge about the missed ride, seeing as he was clutching Reno's coat tightly in his little fists. Once they entered, Renji asked if he could walk and carry the butterflies. They quickly went over to the Turtle's Paradise Inn, and found Rude and Rufus playing cards. Elena and Tseng were no where to be found.

"Mr. Rude!" Rude looked up at his name, and seemed surprised to find Renji running up to him. Rufus looked at from his cards, smiling at the boy. "I got one for you to see! We just caught it!" Rude looked up at Yuffie and Reno as they neared the table and nodded a greeting at them. Rufus looked over to see who Rude was nodding at and did a double take at Reno. "Daddy helped me get it. And he showed me a lizard, too. And pushed me on the swing. Can you open the lid, Mr. Rude? I want to show it to you better."

"Well, Reno in Wutai. What a surprise. What brings you here?" Rufus was smirking at him, like he had just won something.

"You know da- you know what brings me here, _sir_."

"Yes, I do. I'm glad you came. How was the paperwork coming along before you left?"

"Just dandy." Reno made a face as Renji reached into the container and captured the blue butterfly with a small hand. "I hate bugs..."

"So we've noticed..." Rufus said dryly, taking a drink from a nearby glass. "How was the butterfly hunt?"

"If I never see another insect for the rest of my life I'll be happy." Reno lowered his voice slightly. "Damn thing landed on my face."

"What thing?"

"That blue monstrosity Renji's showing to Rude." Rufus chuckled along with Yuffie. Reno ignored both of them. "Why'd you have to let him like that bug, Yuffie?"

"Couldn't help it. Get used to it, though. Renji likes to go catch them a lot." Reno moaned and sat down on a chair with his head in his hands. Renji walked up to him, still holding the butterfly.

"What's wrong, Daddy? Are you sick?"

"What? No, I just-oh man, do you have to bring that blue thing this close to me?"

"It's like that lizard, Daddy, it won't hurt you. Here." Renji took one of his hands and planted the butterfly on his palm. It was fanning it's wings back and forth, and made an occasional move on its slightly furry feet. Reno resisted the urge to squash it then and there, because Renji would not like that course of action. Everyone was staring at him, muffling laughter against hands and sleeves. The butterfly walked its way up to his wrist, and the muscles on the left side of his face started to twitch. "It didn't hurt you at all!"

"Yeah. Just, just take it away, huh?"

"Okay. Come on, butterfly! Time to go back!" Renji turned to his mother, who was trying valiantly not to laugh out loud. "Mommy, can I let them go in the garden outside before the rain?"

"Yes, come on." Yuffie led the way, sending an amused glance Reno's way. Reno waiting until they were out of earshot to begin cursing any creature that had at least six legs and more than two eyes. Rufus laughed uproariously, while Rude simply smiled. He did not want to offend his friend, after all.

"Christ, that was the worst moment of my life. No, make that second worst. Damn bugs..."

"What in the world could be worse than what you just endured, Reno?" Rufus had a straight face, but he was shaking with the effort of not laughing. Reno glared at him.

"Shut up, boss."

**So, there you have it! I'll post the next chapter soon. I can't concentrait on my other stories while this one is in my head. Meh. Review if you took the time to read. It's what nice people do. **

**Tagg**


	12. Chapter 12

**Ok folks, sorry this took so long to post, but I've been hella sick the last few days. Nasty stomach bug. Blech. Anywho, this is longer than most chapters, and it goes a little into what Reno's childhood was like, and it also involves peanutbutter! Love that stuff...**

**I don't own FF VII or any of her characters. I just use them. I earn no money from this, which is sad, but hey, we can't always get paid for what we do. **

Yuffie and Renji came back in, with a thankfully empty container, and said their good-byes. Reno nodded and left it at that. They were half way back to their house when the rain started. It was pouring down in buckets, and colder than usual. Reno picked his son up and ran for it, following closely behind Yuffie as she navigated the streets. Fast as they ran, all of them were shivering when they got to the house. Yuffie's hand were shaking from the cold so much she could barely open the door for them.

Renji was immediately changed into dry clothes, and was sipping at a cup with steam rising from it, which turned out to be holding hot chocolate. Reno frowned at it, then turned to Yuffie, who was going to make tea for the both of them.

"Hey, why does Renji get hot chocolate and I don't?"

"Because you're not three?"

"What does age have anything to do with it? I seem to remember you having a fascination with the stuff."

"I used to, now I can't drink it. I had it one morning, because I was craving it while still pregnant, and had a bout of horrible morning sickness, so you can guess what happened." She shook her head, rummaging in a cabinet for something. "Never been able to stomach the stuff since. Same thing happened to tuna salad with pickles in it."

"For breakfast?"

"You crave some weird stuff when carrying a baby."

"Like what?"

"Like, ice cream with cheese sauce. Godo nearly got sick watching me eat chili with gummie bears in it." Reno shuddered, making retching noises.

"I'd have thrown up regardless. Although, I feel bad you had to be sick all by yourself."

"That's funny, coming from you. You throw up whenever you hear or see anyone else doing it."

"Yeah, well, at least we'd go through it together." Yuffie smiled at him, shaking her head, and deposited a cup in front of him. An investigative sniff revealed hot chocolate. Reno got up and planted a kiss on her before drinking it. His eyes opened wide afterward. "You put peanutbutter in it! You remembered!"

"Of course. Renji likes it that way sometimes, but not as much as you do."

"You like hot chocolate with peanutbutter in it too, Renji?" Renji nodded, gulping down his beverage. "You are the coolest kid ever." The boy giggled, then blinked sleepily. "Tired?"

"No." This was punctuated by a yawn that threatened to break Renji's jaw. "I'm not sleepy..."

"Really? I know I am. All that running around wore me out." Renji smiled, laying his head on the table.

"Come on, Renji, nap time for you." Yuffie swept her son up on her arms and carried him away. Renji was complaining about not being sleepy at all while his eyes refused to stay open. Reno walked out of the kitchen, still with his cup of peanutbutter hot chocolate, and sat down on the couch. He seemed to sink into it, which is what a couch was supposed to do, in his opinion. It was temping to go outside and smoke, but he really did not feel like watching the rain and being in the cold wind. He swirled his cup, noticing that the peanutbutter was beginning to become sludge at the bottom of the cup. Reno drained it in one gulp, and sat the cup down on a nearby table.

"What a day..."

"Yep." Reno started slightly at Yuffie, then proceeded to lay down on the couch. Yuffie joined him without invitation. A pillow was rearranged as a headrest before they settled. It was something they had always done, even before they were officially a couple. Somehow they would always end up on a couch, with Reno spooning her. "Remember when Tifa and Cloud broke your door down to 'save me' from your clutches?" He chuckled in her ear and nodded. It was a day similar to this one in Midgar, with rain pouring down and no end in sight. They had been caught outside in it, walking back from a bakery with a bag full of pastries. Reno's apartment was closer than her inn or the Seventh Heaven, so they went there.

Yuffie had been soaked to the bone, shivering in his doorway. Reno loaned her the use of a shirt while her clothes dried. It was vastly oversized on her small frame, making her look more adorable than before. He had collapsed on the couch while she changed, putting on dry clothes of his own beforehand. Yuffie had poked him in the side until he made room for her as well. Even with Reno's body warmth, she still shivered, so he grabbed a blanket from the top of the couch to cover her with. Yuffie had sighed contentedly then, and relaxed. They had both fallen asleep after that.

Until Cloud and Tifa decided to break his door in half and rudely wake them up. Reno had pulled his gun out on instinct, training it on whoever was breaking in. He rolled his eyes and laid his head back down when he saw a familiar spikey headed blond and a woman with overly large breasts glaring at him.

_"You scared the shit out of me, Cloud." _

_"I'll do more than scare you. What are you doing alone with her?" _

_"Sleeping. What the hell else did it look like we were doing?" _

_"Yuffie, let's go." _

_"No. I was having a great dream about moogles and sunflowers before you broke Reno's door." _

_"What? You...wanted to be here?" _

_"Well, DUH! Why else would I be here? He was nice enough to let me use his clothes drier so that I wouldn't walk around all soggy. He even got me a blanket." Both Tifa and Cloud shared a look, then turned confused eyes on him. _

_"Why are you being nice, Reno?" Tifa asked. _

_"Cause she was cold, and she's my friend?" She looked even more confused after that. "You really think I'm going to have sex with an underage girl? That's fucked up." _

_"Yuffie, get your things and let's go." _

_"No. Fix his door." Cloud looked like he was going to argue, but Yuffie cut him off. "Don't make me bring up a certain incident in Wall Market, Cloud." He had paled at that comment, then glared at Tifa when she giggled behind her hand. "Now fix the door. It's the least you could do for ruining my happy dream." _

_"What about the fact that he broke my door, Yuffie? I think he should replace it for that too." _

_"Yeah, well, it was a really good dream." Cloud and Tifa had just stood there and stared at them as they bickered. _

"That was pretty funny. I'm surprised they didn't try and castrate me or something for daring to go out with you."

"Actually, Vincent was the one who wanted to do that. I stole his headband thingy until he promised not to hurt you. I'm glad you were brave enough to face them all down, though."

"I'm a grown up. I can deal with a bunch of over-protective friends. You're worth facing them for. But hey, what did they say when you told them about Renji?"

"Well, they kinda started to go on a 'Kill da Reno' spree, and it was tempting to let them. I wouldn't let them, though. Told them they would no longer be Aunt Tifa and various Uncles if they did that." Reno winced, knowing full well that he deserved to be beatings they would have doled out.

"I really, really wish I could have been there for you. But I don't think I'd have done a great job as a dad. I mean, I wasn't willing to give up drinking for more than a day, or to not go and almost die on the job. That's a pretty shitty way to be a dad."

"I know, which is part of the reason I didn't keep calling you. You wouldn't have changed then. I'm glad you came now though."

"Yeah. Me too." They were silent for a while, listening to the rain. Reno was almost asleep when Yuffie spoke again.

"Reno, what was your childhood like?" He frowned and felt his body tense as memories flooded his mind. Yuffie felt it and turned around to look at him. "What's wrong?"

"Why do you want to know that?"

"You never told me before. Always evaded the subject."

"For a good reason, Yuffie. It's not a happy thing to think about."

"Please?" He closed his eyes, his mind unwillingly bringing up visions of the past that he would rather forget. He could never resist Yuffie, no matter what the request was. He had gone to the store for 'feminine supplies' for her once, and that was something he swore he would never do.

"I was born in a little house in Kalm. My dad, well, he died when I was small. Wasn't the nicest of guys. He hit me and beat my mom a lot. One time, after he left her bleeding on the floor, she killed him. Beat him with one of the hammers he used to work with. We left after that. She just scooped me up and a few belongings and ran for Midgar. We got a ride there, but only after she fucked the driver and his partner." Yuffie's eyes widened in shock. He had told her it was not a happy thing to think about. "That was the way it was. There weren't any jobs in the slums for a talentless woman with a kid in tow. So she became a whore. She hated it, always crying after coming home. Then, when I was around six I guess, she started acting strange. She didn't bring home money anymore. One of the John's got her hooked on a drug. She paid him with sex for hits. Started bringing John's home instead of out in the street or an inn. I hid in a closet the first few times, then I just didn't come home anymore. I took my stuff and a few blankets and hid in the giant cat slide at night. Nothing bad ever happened at the playground, and no one could fit inside the cat but me. I even found the broken piece that I put back to keep my hideout private. I went home a few times, to see her. She was either high or sick from withdrawal. I don't think she even remembered she had a son."

That was the part that hurt him most. She had been a kind, loving mother before then. She had always made sure he had enough to eat, letting herself go hungry in the process. She saved him from beatings and ridicule, held him after nightmares and dried his tears. For her to forget he existed was a blow he almost did not recover from.

"Last time I went back, I found her laying outside the door. A John had beat her to death. Just left her there in the street for the rats to nibble on. After that, I was on my own. Sure, I went to school, but other than that I had nothing and nowhere to go. I got in a group of kids like me, and we had our own gang. We stole what we needed, but we always shared it. Once I was big enough to fight, I got good at it, making sure that the littlest ones got a share of everything. Sure, the others could gang up on me for making them share, but after me taking down three of the bastards they let me be."

"After that, I went into the Turks. They laughed, but I made it. I was more ruthless than anyone else in my class, more so than most of the Turks themselves. I was bitter and angry and damn well determined to make it. I wanted out of the slums. I got out, but, I'd kind of turned into a monster."

"You're no monster, Reno. I wouldn't love a monster." Reno smiled then, stroking her hair gently.

"Not now. But I was. Didn't give a shit who got hurt or died cause of me. Rude was the one who stopped that. Sure, I'm still ruthless in a fight, but I don't just blindly kill or hurt people because I'm angry. Or spend my nights drunk off my ass. He just, hit me one day, and said I was a Turk, not a slum boy anymore. And that's it. Anything else you want to know?"

"Reno...I...you didn't have to say anything. I'm sorry I brought it up." Yuffie wrapped her arms around his neck and held him tightly. He kissed her hair, letting the scent of her take over his senses. That usually led both of them to the bedroom, but right now he just wanted to forget the past and concentrate on the present.

"It's alright. I did warn you though, didn't I?" She nodded, wriggling closer to him. "That's why I came here. I mean, I wanted to see you, but when I found out about Renji...there's no way I was going to let him go through anything like that. You wouldn't let it happen, I know, but..."

"Why did you call me, by the way?"

"I'm not sure. I was kicking myself, looking at that picture Reeve took of us in my office, and I wanted to talk to you, hear your voice. Do you know how many times I tried to call, but couldn't?"

"I have no idea, but I bet it was a lot."

"Yeah. I got a question. Why didn't you let Renji jump off the swing today?"

"I don't want him to get hurt."

"I hate to tell you this, but he'll get hurt no matter what, and he'll try and do it when you aren't looking. That's what I did when I was little. I bet he runs off at every opportunity, too."

"He does. It's a constant battle to keep him near me. He always gets into mischief on his own. I want to keep him safe and happy as long as possible."

"He's a kid, Yuffie. He's going to do that anyway. Boys like to get dirty and dig for worms and shit like that."

"Damn it, Reno, he's all I have! He's my life. I can't just let him get hurt!"

"I didn't say you have to. Just let him be a kid. That includes jumping off swings and getting dirty and leaving hand prints on the refrigerator."

"He runs and plays, all the time."

"But he doesn't ever get dirty, does he?" Yuffie remained silent. "I'm not saying that I know more than you about being a parent, but, he acts like a little adult most of the time. I know he's smart, but damn, Yuffie, he should run around and shout and climb trees and shit like that. Not be a mild mannered mini-adult." Yuffie sniffed, and he jumped at the sound. "What? What's wrong? I wasn't being mean, don't cry. I'm sorry."

"No, you're right." She paused to sniff and wipe her eyes. "But what else can I do? You can't talk to him like he's a regular three year old. You can't just say, 'here, go be a kid' and have him do it. He'll think about it and ask you what that means. Maybe you can get him to just play."

"Maybe. I didn't mean to upset you. Seriously."

"Turn around's fair play. We're even."

"Nope. Not by a long shot. You still have to yell at me, remember?" Yuffie laughed weakly and looked up at him. "That's better."

"What would I do without you, Reno?"

"Do you really want me to answer that?"

"No. But you can answer something else for me."

"Shoot."

"What're you going to do now? You're a Turk. You live and work in Midgar."

"I have no idea. Haven't really thought about it, yet. I can't spend **all **my time in Wutai with you guys. Not and stay employed. I'm not cut out for anything else, really. I'll talk with Rufus about it."

**And that's the end. Of this chapter. Next one is fun. I like it lots and lots. Review, please, if you read this. **

**Tagg**


	13. Chapter 13

**And here's another chapter for you good folks that read my stories! I've got more coming! Keep reading! That's an order! **

**I don't own FFVII or any characters in it. I just use them. I earn no money from it. Sadly.**

The next morning brought sunlight once again, as though the rains from the day before had never been there at all. The unseasonably cold rain had put a damper on everything in Wutai. No one had ventured out in the wet at all. The sun, oblivious once again to the curses of a man named Reno, rose in the sky, dispersing the dampness with warmth. It beamed brighter and brighter as the tiny creatures it showered its light on woke up and moved around.

"You could always just face the other way, Reno."

"Then I can't hold you right. Besides, you know I don't stay in bed in the morning. I'd be getting up anyway."

"Renji inherited that from you, it seems. I haven't been able to sleep in since getting pregnant."

"You know, if I didn't know you had a kid, I'd say you never had one." Yuffie chuckled and rearranged the blankets slightly. "Still beautiful. And hot." He said this with a kiss on her neck. She opened her neck to him, inviting more. Reno complied, not trying to seduce her but make her happy.

"We need to get up."

"Yep."

"Really, we need to."

"I'm agreeing with you." Yuffie rolled her eyes and got out of the bed, stretching. Reno watched her walk into the bathroom, marveling at how she moved. She still moved with a certain grace that mesmerized him. He stayed in bed until Yuffie came out, dripping wet and indicating that she was done. He bounced out of bed, and received a glare from the still sleepy Yuffie.

"Is it absolutely necessary for you to be that energetic this early in the morning?"

"Damn right it is."

The smell of breakfast cooking made Reno hurry to finish his shower and get dressed. He was still buttoning his shirt up as he walked into the kitchen, finding Renji already there and waiting for breakfast. Reno joined him at the table.

"What's for breakfast, Yuffie?"

"Pancakes."

"Can we have Happy to See You pancakes?"

"What are those, Reno?" Yuffie was stacking a few finished pancakes on a platter while she asked. Reno got up and took a plate, two pancakes, two strawberries and some bacon, arranging them carefully. Yuffie snickered at him, but continued with her cooking. Reno took the plate and set in down in front of Renji, who squealed with delight. Two pancakes made the eyes with strawberry centers and the bacon made a smiling mouth.

"There's your breakfast, and it's happy to see you!" Renji giggled and began eating.

"Where'd 'ou lear' tha', Daddy?"

"Don't talk with your mouth full, buddy. And my mom used to make that for me. Every Sunday, actually. Only she made it with porridge under it. Yuck." Yuffie gave him an indecipherable look, forgetting that she was cooking. "Yuffie, you're pancakes are burning." She yelped and flipped them over, inspecting them for damage. Renji swallowed his mouthful of food and drank some orange juice, lifting the glass with both hands. He was still wearing pajamas and had on monster foot slippers. They kicked back and forth under the table. His hair was messy from sleeping, and there were still lines on his face from the sheets. Renji noticed Reno looking at him, and blinked. "You've got to be the most adorable kid in the world."

"And the fact that he looks just like you has nothing to do with it what so ever?" Reno swallowed the retort he was going to give when his own plate appeared before him, just as happy to see him as Renji's was.

"Daddy, are we going up in the 'copter today?"

"Yep." Reno winked and chewed a bite of food. He pointed with his fork at Renji's plate. "Look, now he's a pirate." One of the 'eyes' was completely gone, leaving a pool of syrup in its place. Renji giggle again, and started in on the second 'eye'. "I'll go and get it ready after breakfast."

"Can I go too?"

"It'll be boring and long. I'll call when she's ready to fly." Renji pouted slightly, but his attention returned to his breakfast quickly. "Besides, you'll be sitting in the co-pilot seat next to me. It'll be worth the wait."

"Okay!"

After eating, Reno was walking down the streets, headed to the landing pad his helicopter was waiting on. Few people were about, just like yesterday. The same old woman and her dog were outside, though. He was surprised to see the old dog get up and walk over to the street, just as he had for Renji.

"Sorry, dog, no kid today. Maybe later." The dog just stood there and wagged his tail, waiting. "What? You want me to pet you?" A whine was his answer. "Okay, but no biting." He patted the dog's head, then rubbed at his ears. "Guess you like me, huh? That makes two people on my side in Wutai besides Yuffie and Renji."

"Three, actually." Reno looked up to find the old woman right beside her dog. "Bartie is an excellent judge of character. You're one of the few people he lets touch him."

"So who's the third person that likes me?"

"That would be me." He was surprised to say the least. He had only said one word to the woman before. "Don't look so surprised. I have no reason to dislike you."

"Why do you keep a dog that doesn't like people?"

"Because he keeps the fools and idiots away. I have no patience for them."

"Good reason." Reno found that the dog was leaning on his legs.

"Where are you off to so early? More butterfly hunting?" He shuddered slightly, making the woman laugh at him.

"No, thank God." She raised an eyebrow at him.

"Are you religious, Reno?"

"Not really, I'd give it up, but I think my mom would turn over in her grave if I did. If she has a grave." He paused, remembering how his mother would dress him up for church on Sunday after breakfast. "I'm going to take Renji flying, so I've got to get things ready."

"I'm surprised he did not come along with you."

"He'd get bored after ten minutes. Maybe when he's older." Reno gave the dog a final pat on the side. Bartie stopped using him as a support and went to the old woman's side. "See you 'round, Mrs. Yu." She nodded and went back to her porch while he went down the street.

**Short, yes, but the next one is longer, much longer. Look for it! Lol**

**Tagg**


	14. Chapter 14

**Alright, chapter twelve has been FIXED. I don't know how I managed to load up an old chapter for twelve, but I did. It is fixed, with the correct chapter in place. Please read it, as it has peanut butter in it. This begins the flying episode. Funness for Renji and Reno. WOO! Now, I know absolutely nothing about helicopters, so let's all pretend that what I write is reality, kay? Thanks. **

**I don't own FF VII or any of it's characters. I just use them to make my muse happy. **

Both Shinra helicopters were waiting on the landing pads. He went over to his favorite and gave it a cursory inspection before really getting started. Everything was in order except for the door. There were scratches on the handle and lock. Not deep or very noticeable, but he knew they had not been there before. The locking mechanism was still in tact and the small rod that was part of the lock was still in position when he opened it, so no one had gotten inside. Reno got in the pilot's seat and cued up the security camera's archive. He watched it from seven-thirty yesterday morning on through the day on fast forward until before dawn this morning.

There he let it go at speed, and found what he was looking for. A person, masked and dressed in black, was sneaking around the helicopter, attempting to get inside it. Upon failing, they walked around it once, then climbed up to where the main rotor was. The cameras did not reach that high, but they recorded the sounds of someone grunting and the unmistakable sound of metal moving against metal. A triumphant laugh later, the person was on the ground and running away.

Reno was puzzled by what the person thought they were doing up near the rotors. There was precious little that could be done in the way of damage to it. He was also puzzled by the person he saw. They made too much noise to be a ninja, or even a thief. Also, the person was too slim to be Godo, which would be his first choice among possible suspects. The laugh and grunting was that of a man. "Did you hire someone, old man?" He was talking to himself while dialing his phone. It was answered by a disgruntled Rude. "Yo, partner. You up yet?"

"I am now, no thanks to you."

"Stop being a little bitch and get your laptop out. I'm sending you something."

"What?"

"Surveillance video. From this morning before dawn. Someone tried to tamper with my helicopter."

"What?"

"Someone's trying to make me into a bad guy here, Rude, and they're doing it in ways that'll hurt Renji."

"Why?"

"Can you use more than one word? I don't know, but they want me gone."

"Fine. I can see why if you keep calling people this early."

"Were you sleeping with your cookies again, Rude?"

"No."

"Are you sure? No crumbs in the sheets?"

"Shut up. Alright, its ready."

"Good. Do me a favor and check the video on the other helicopter when you actually wake up."

"What's got you in such a good mood? You usually don't talk this much this early."

"Happy to See You Pancakes."

"Oh. Save any for me?"

"Are cookies not good enough?"

"Shut up."

"Alright, the file's sent. Go back to sleep with your cookies."

"Shut up."

Rude hung up the phone, and Reno smiled in spite of himself. Rude was always fun to pester in the morning. He was naturally a late riser, and it nearly always made him late for work. Reno would be the one to wake him up every morning after he turned his alarm clock off and eat whatever cookies or sweets Rude had while the man got ready.

"Alright, time to see what they did to my helicopter..."

Reno went through his preflight inspection as though there were nothing wrong. Rotor inspection was in the middle of it anyway, so there was no reason to skip right to it. Everything else was in perfect working order. He went back to the rotor and found that a single bolt had been loosened. A single loose bolt was usually no problem, but where this one was situated was critical. It would fly out once in full flight and cause major turbulence. An inexperienced pilot would most likely crash or damage the craft. Reno would not, but he was no ordinary pilot. The problem was quickly fixed, and he checked the other bolts for good measure.

"Come on, pick up the phone..." He was calling Yuffie from inside the helicopter, checking on various things.

"Hello?"

"Hey, sexy." He could almost see her smile. "Let me talk to Renji real quick?"

"Sure. Here he is..." There was a second of silence while the phone was being transfered. "Hello?"

"Hey there, buddy. Ready to go for a ride?"

"YES!"

"Alright, then you two need to get on down here!"

"YES! WE'LL BE RIGHT THERE! Bye Daddy!" The phone was silent for another few seconds, and then Yuffie was back on the line.

"I take it you're ready? We'll leave just as soon as we get shoes on, Renji. Ok, we'll be there. Bye."

"Bye."

It took them fifteen minutes to get to the landing pads, and Reno was waiting for them, leaning against the door of his helicopter. Renji ran from his mother to him, babbling excitedly. Yuffie walked over at a more leisurely pace, smiling at Renji's excitement. Reno winked at her.

"You sure you don't want to come with, Yuffie?"

"Yeah. Just the thought of flying makes me want to throw up. I'll see you guys later, ok?"

"Okay, bye Mommy!" Renji waved at her. Reno did as well before sliding open the door. Renji climbed inside on his own, barely able to make it up from the ground. He was trotting around inside, looking at everything in the back before going into the front. "Wow...what do all the buttons do?"

"They help me fly. Don't touch any of them unless I tell you, okay?" Renji nodded and continued looking. "Time to get strapped in!" Reno shut the door and locked it, gently pushing Renji ahead of him and toward the co-pilot seat. "You get to be my co-pilot today." He let the boy get up into the seat himself. He seemed to like climbing. Reno got him properly in the seat and belted into place using the extra body harness along with the seat belt. He grabbed a head set and adjusted it to fit Renji's head before putting it in place. "There's your head set. It lets us talk over the sound of the helicopter and protects your ears."

Reno got himself belted into his seat once he was done with Renji. He normally did not use it, but he wanted to make sure it was as safe as possible. Once his own head set was in place, he turned them both on. Renji could hear both him and the control tower.

"See this blue button?" Renji nodded. "Push it, and it'll turn on all these instruments." Renji pushed it, straining slightly against his harness. He giggled as all the lights came on and several instruments beeped. "Aaaand, push this one to turn the engine on." Renji pushed another button and laughed with delight as the engine started humming. Reno leaned over and adjusted the microphone on Renji's headset so that it was closer to the boys mouth. "See why we use headsets like this?" Renji turned to him and nodded.

"It's so loud!"

"It'll get louder in a minute, when we turn on the rotors. Don't touch anything else yet." Renji nodded again, and turned to inspect the dials. Reno was going through the other flight preparations, flicking switches and hitting buttons with barely a thought as to what they did. He knew what they did and their placement by heart.

"Wow, Daddy, you really know what all these things do?"

"Yep. Been flying for years."

"Will you tell me what they do later?"

"You bet. Hit this red button and it'll turn on the rotors. It'll be really loud, so don't worry about it." Renji hit the button with his tiny fist, and the whole craft started humming. Renji was wide-eyed, craning his neck to see the rotors spinning. They got faster and faster, whining through the air. "Be quiet for a minute, Renji." Reno hit a few more switches as he got ready for take off.

"Attention Wutai tower, Betsy One requesting permission for take off from pad Beta, do you copy?"

"Copy Betsy One, this is Wutai Tower. Last instrument and fuel check is necessary for take off."

"All go, Wutai Tower. Full tank and one happy passenger." Renji smiled at him, and Reno winked.

"Permission granted, Betsy One. Safe flight."

"Copy, Wutai Tower." Reno turned to his son, who was waiting expectantly. "Ready?"

"YES! LET'S GO GO GO!"

"Alright. We'll go slow at first, 'til we're further from the tower."

With that, Reno took off, the helicopter beating the air ruthlessly as it gained altitude. Once out of the tower airspace, he sped up a little, but still went slow enough for Renji to watch the ground below zoom past. He was trying to plaster his face to the window, but the harness kept him from doing it.

"Can we go higher?"

"Sure." He made a rapid assent, causing Renji to squeal in delight as he saw Wutai shrink into something that resembled a doll house. "How's that?"

"GREAT!"

"Anywhere you want to see?"

"Everything! Let's see everything!"

Reno laughed, and proceeded to show Renji 'everything'. Once he got tired of sight-seeing in a helicopter, Reno started doing tricks. He pulled one as a surprise, making a rapid turn-about without losing momentum. Since Renji enjoyed it, he did more and more tricks. Flying was a joy to Reno. It always had been. From the moment he set foot in a helicopter he knew this was something he would love. Seeing the same joy in Renji's face made him beyond happy. Here was something that Yuffie could not, and would not, teach her son. He could and would teach Renji to fly if the boy wanted to learn.

"So, Renji, you want to learn how to fly when you're older?"

"YES! YES! YES! When'll you teach me? Huh?"

"As soon as your feet can hit the pedals down there," Reno pointed, showing him the foot pedals used to help steering. "You'll be up in the air. Hey, that rhymed. I should be a poet or something." They both laughed. "Okay, time to head back. Your mom's probably pulling her hair out right now." Renji giggled and nodded his agreement. Just as he was turning the helicopter around to head back to Wutai, someone started shooting at them. The bullets were aimed near the back, where the fuel tanks were.

"Shit!"

**Again, remember that I have to knowledge of helicopters, so we're pretending that what I wrote/write is real. :) Reviews, please! **

**Tagg**


	15. Chapter 15

**Back again? I'm glad! I have so much to post...and I need you good people to read it! So we both win! YAY. There's a cute little scene at the end, so get ready to go 'awwwwww'. **

**I don't own FF VII or any of its characters. I just use them to make my muse happy. **

"Shit. Attention, Wutai Tower! Betsy One under attack. I repeat, Betsy One under attack," There were more bullets hitting the side, coming closer to the fuel tank. Reno had come in low after the last trick, and he was now trying to gain altitude and distance from the shooter. "Do you copy, Wutai Tower?"

"Wutai Tower. What's your status?"

"Status secure, but someone's shooting at the fuel tank. Long range rifle, sounds like armor piercing bullets. One attacker, possibly two in the hills three kilometers north and one west of the city. Gaining altitude, but they're still shooting."

"Copy, Betsy One. Sending out patrols. Can you make it back?"

"Who the hell do you think you're talking to? Of course I can make it back. No direct hits on the tank."

"Call in with status checks until landing. Pad Beta is clear and secured for your arrival."

"Copy, Wutai Tower." He pulled his phone out of his pocket and handed it to Renji. "You okay, buddy?" The boy nodded, but he was pale. "It's alright. Can you dial a number for me?" He nodded and opened the phone, dialing the numbers Reno called out to him. "Hit send and wait for Rude to pick up. Make sure and tell him not to use bad words before you say anything else." Renji did what he was told and waited for someone to pick up.

"Don't say any bad words, Mr. Rude! Daddy s-said to tell you that."

'Renji? Where's Reno at, kid?'

"He's here." Renji handed the phone to Reno, who grabbed it and cradled it against his shoulder so that he had both hands to fly with.

"Rude."

'What the hell's going on? Why's the kid sound scared?'

"Cause he is. Someone was shooting at us, Rude, nearly clipped the fuel tank."

'What?'

"Don't start that again. Call the tower and make sure at least one Turk goes with the patrol to investigate. I don't trust them not to cover up something."

'Yeah. I'll tell the others. You better land safe, bitch.'

"Yeah, yeah." Reno folded the phone and put it back in his pocket once they were level. He turned to Renji, worried that he was still scared. The boy was on the verge of tears. "That was scary, huh?"

"But, you weren't scared..."

"Sure I was. I was scared something would happen to you. You sure you're alright?"

"Yes. But you said two bad words!" Reno cast a bewildered look at his son. He seemed more upset that he cursed than they had been in actual danger.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to. No one's ever used bad words around you but when the adults were upset, right?"

"Yeah."

"Okay. I say lots of bad words, but I try and be good around you, cause they're, well, bad. We'll make a deal. Every time I say a bad word around you, you'll get one gil. One for every word. That way you make sure I'm good and I don't have a way to weasel out of it. Deal?" Renji nodded. "We'll shake on it when we land, okay?" Renji nodded again, a tiny smile on his face.

"Do you do any other bad things, Daddy?"

"Yeah, a few. I smoke." Renji turned to face him, shocked.

"You do? You don't smell bad. Mr. Moos smokes, and he smells bad." He wrinkled his nose in disgust.

"I'm not that bad. I don't smoke a whole lot. And I'll never do it around you."

"Good. It's stinky." Reno chuckled at the comment. Then he sobered.

"Renji. I'll tell you right now, I'm not perfect. But, I will never, EVER do anything to hurt you. I'll keep you safe no matter what. Remember that."

"I will." Renji looked up at him, catching Reno's eyes. "I want a hug."

"I know. I can't let go of the stick, but we'll land soon. Promise."

"Okay."

**I love Reno. I just do. He's so...RENO. This was short, because the next chapter is longer. Much much longer. There is fun with  
Rufus coming up in about three chapters or so. Review if you took the time to read this, it really helps. **

**Tagg**


	16. Chapter 16

**Here we are, born to be kings! We're princes of..the uni...verse...yeah, a little carried away there...and here it is, the next chapter! Bet you want to know who's shooting at them, huh? Well, you'll just have to wait to find out! MWAHAHAHA! **

**I don't own FF VII or any of her characters. I just own the story. **

They landed without incident, Reno quickly turning the aircraft off. He was out of his seat and detaching Renji's harness, fingers flying over the buckles and clips. The second he was free, Renji was in his arms, clutching him desperately and crying. Not wailing sobs like in the park, but tears and shaking. As much as he felt bad for Renji, he was getting more and more angry as Renji cried on his shoulder. _When I find the son of a bitch that shot at us, I'll rip out his fingernails and bury him up to his neck in the desert for the scorpions to get. _

The tears did not last long. He was still clinging to Reno, but Renji was no longer crying. He took a proffered handkerchief and noisily blew his nose. Reno took the half soggy fabric and threw it on the back seat. Unlike Yuffie, he had nothing to keep such things in on his person. He tried to soften his face for Renji's sake before talking to him. He knew he was frightening when he was angry, and he did not want Renji to see him that way.

"We're going outside, buddy. That okay?"

"Yeah. Daddy?"

"Yeah?"

"Will you still teach me to fly?"

"Yes. Absolutely. You don't know how much I want to." Renji nodded and Reno carried him over to the door, managing to open it one handed. Rude was there, inspecting the side of the helicopter, as was Rufus. They both looked up when he got out. Judging by their expressions, Rude as alarmed as he ever looked, and Rufus slightly taken aback, he was not doing a very good job at not looking angry. He tossed a set of keys to Rude and started walking away with Rufus beside him.

"Tseng and Elena are with the patrol they sent out. Very upset at working on their vacation, but-"

"This is a little more important than their vacation."

"Which is what I told them. Rude seemed very upset that the two of you were attacked." Renji tightened his grip around Reno's neck at the word 'attack', and Reno turned a dangerous glare at his boss.

"You're not helping him feel any better. Just wait to talk about it til later."

Rufus remained silent as they walked into the Turtles Paradise and out into the garden. Reno almost growled at the butterflies that fluttered about. He didn't because Renji would be distracted by them, which was exactly what he wanted. Renji watched them without moving his head from Reno's shoulder. Rufus startled them both when he spoke.

"What type of butterflies are these, Renji?"

"I dunno. Gotta look at them closer." Rufus caught one carefully, and brought it over for Renji to see. Reno cringed inwardly, but did nothing else. "Its a Yellow Lady. Only, the yellow ones are boys, and the yellow and purple ones are girls."

"Seems silly, to call it a Yellow Lady, doesn't it? Why not a Yellow Lad?" Renji shrugged and laid back on Reno's shoulder. "Are there any pink butterflies?"

"No. Pink's only in flowers, not butterflies." Renji sniffed and then turned to Reno. "Can I look at the other ones?"

"Yeah." He put Renji down, and watched as the boy caught another butterfly, this one blue and red, and proceeded to tell Rufus about it. Reno took the opportunity to call Yuffie and get the worst of the anger out of the way before she got there.

'Hello?'

"Hey, it's me."

'Oh, how was the flight? Renji have a good time?'

"Yeah. Just one thing wasn't all that good."

'Was Renji sick?'

"No. No, he did great. Loved nearly every minute of it."

'So, what happened?'

"Well, we were shot at by some person in the hills."

'WHAT! WHAT DID YO-' Reno held the phone away from his ear, saving his hearing from Yuffies shrieks. She went on for some time, making Rufus and Renji look at the phone he was holding curiously. She finally stopped yelling after saying his name.

"Are you done screaming yet?"

'NO I'M NOT DO-' Again, he held the phone away from him, waiting for her to finish. She seemed to be panting for breath after a minute more. Reno took his chance.

"Okay, now that I'm deaf in one ear, will you listen to me? He's fine. Right here with Rufus telling him about one of those butterflies."

'What happened!'

"I'd tell you if I knew. We just gone done with some tricks, and there's shooting from out of nowhere. Lousy shot, too, but nothing happened beyond a few dents and holes in the metal. Renji was just scared, nothing else."

'You're sure? Are you alright?'

"I'm pissed. This is getting out of hand, Yuffie. Whoever the fu-whoever is doing this has gone too far. Falling off a swing is one thing, actually shooting at us while in flight is another."

'Damn right! When I get my hands on whoever did this...I'm so mad I can't even think of a good torture.'

"Think of one on the way here. Renji's still scared."

'Tell him I'll be right there.'

-click-

"Glad that's over with...what?" Rufus was giving him another triumphant smirk. "I'd rather deal with Sephiroth again than a pissed off Yuffie." Renji came over to him, holding out his hand expectantly. "Oh man, did it again..." He pulled out four gil from his pocket and deposited it in Renji's hand. The boy put them in his pocket before reaching up for him. Reno obliged, finding a chair to sit in after picking him up. He tried to relax, but he was itching to get on the trail of the shooter. He couldn't do that until Yuffie arrived. "Just you wait, Rufus, one day you'll be the same way."

"I highly doubt it. She'd have to have hair more beautiful than my own."

"I'm really going to pretend you didn't just say that."

"It was supposed to be a joke, Reno. What was the gil about, anyway?"

"Every time I use a 'bad word' he gets a gil."

"Renji, you'll be a rich boy by your next birthday." Renji smiled, but did not otherwise respond. He was worn out from the days excitement and crying. He fell asleep shortly after, using Reno as his pillow. "It's amazing how much he looks like you."

"Yeah. Freaked me out the first time I saw him." He looked up at the sky, praying that the good weather would hold. A heavy rain would erase any trail or clue left behind at the scene. "What I want is to go and beat the answer out of Godo. He knows who's doing this, and he either hired him or is ignoring the fact that his own grandchild is in danger."

"Or he does not know." Reno gave him a skeptical look. "As much as Godo despises you, he would not allow harm to come to his family. Children are more treasured than anything else in Wutai."

"Yeah, well some sleaze-ball here is sure trying to hurt this one." Reno brushed a lock of hair from Renji's face, only to have it fall back down a few seconds later. He sighed and tried to push the hair from his own face, only to have the same thing happen. "I don't get why, though. If they're after me, why do things that'll hurt my kid?"

"Because he's yours. That's the best way to get at a person, you know that. How many times have you used that same process to get to your goal?"

"Dunno. But whoever is doing thing is mistaken if they think they'll get away with it."

"Indeed. I look forward to their capture." Reno didn't say anything, but he raised an eyebrow at Rufus. "Surprised? I happen to like Renji. And not because he's your son. Most people have children that are little more than maggots. Renji's not spoiled or bratty."

"You should have seen him throw a fit yesterday when he found out he couldn't go for a helicopter ride...I felt like a piece of sh-" Reno threw a peeved look at the peacefully slumbering Renji before continuing. "Piece of crap for making him cry. And don't you laugh at me, cause if you use 'bad words' you'll be paying him too. You say it, you pay it."

"Very well. But when have you ever heard me use profanity?"

"That's beside the point, and you know it." Rufus chuckled, getting a scowl from Reno. "I'm glad you find this funny, Rufus."

"What? No 'Mr. President' this time?"

"You're on vacation."

"But you're not. You should still be using my proper title."

"Go ahead and fire me, then. That'll solve one of my problems."

"Problems? Do tell." Reno made a rude face at him before answering.

"I can't just spend one weekend a month here with them. My job's in Midgar, or where ever you're at. How am I supposed to be here for them and work at the same time?"

"Good question. You could always retire, you know. Live a life of freedom." Rufus had his chin in one hand, the arm owning the hand sitting on the arm rest of another chair like Reno's. He gave the lock of hair that swept over his face from the wind a vague glance before pushing it aside. He received a very droll look, akin to what certain comics used in the 'sweat-drop' expression.

"Me? Retire? I'd go nuts after a month."

"You'll just have to stay employed then, won't you Reno?"

"You make it sound easy, _sir_."

"It is. You make things more complicated than they really are."

"What're you talking about? How do I make things more complicated? I get things done in the easiest way possible."

"I meant in your personal life. You wouldn't have this problem with someone attacking you had you known about Renji in the first place."

"Don't start on that, Rufus. I feel bad enough already."

"Very well. There's an elegant solution to your 'problem', if you'd bother to think about it."

"And what's that, wise leader? It'd better involve me still flying helicopters."

"You could-"

Rufus was interrupted by a panting Yuffie skidding to a halt in front of them. She bent over, hands on her thighs as she tried to catch her breath. It was several minutes before she could speak, or even breath normally.

"So, what happened?" She reached over to Renji and brushed the same lock of hair from his face that Reno had. He was happy to note that it fell back again just as quickly as when he did it. "Why did someone shoot at you?"

"Don't know."

"Tseng and Elena are with the patrol that was sent out to investigate, so they will have something for us before long." Rufus spoke with a certainty that left no doubt that they would indeed find something to report. "I'd suggest you both go home." Reno opened his mouth to protest, but Rufus cut him off before he started. "There is nothing you can do at this time, Reno, and you know it. Those two are perfectly capable of handling things in the field. You will know immediately when they make a report."

"We'd better, Rufus. I'll drown whoever's doing this in half congealed jello mixed with paint thinner."

"Finally thought of a good one, huh?" Reno said with a smile. Yuffie grinned and nodded. "I like it. Just enough humor in it to make it embarrassing. I'm proud of you."

"Why thank you." Yuffie made a bow, much to the amusement of both men in the garden.

"What's funny?" Rude asked, walking up to them. He nodded a greeting at Yuffie before turning to Reno. "Got a few bullets out of the armor. Older model. Long range rifle. I'm surprised these are still around." Reno scowled. That fact would make it both easier and harder to find the gunman. Easier because those guns were hard to come by. People collected them. It would be harder because they would have to track down registered owners. "I've got headquarters running a check on owners of all late model riffles. They'll call when they get done."

"I hate waiting."

"I remember you waiting for something. Said it was worth it." Yuffie was teasing him, he knew, but it seemed out of place in the current situation.

"Yeah, but that didn't involve attempted murder."

"Relax, Reno. No sense worrying about what you can't do anything about."

"How can you be so calm about it? I'm ready to rip someone to shreds and you're joking around."

"You get used to it, Reno. Once the initial anger is gone, there's nothing left to do but wait. We had to wait and watch Meteor come closer and closer, knowing there was nothing we could do about it. We had to sit there and watch Cloud fight Sephy, knowing there was no way we could help. I want to die knowing I spent my life doing something other than worry. So if there's nothing I can do, I don't worry too much about it."

"Yeah, well-wait. Did you just call him 'Sephy'?" Yuffie nodded, grinning again.

"He didn't like the nickname much. Not that I care. The Sephy Clones made me giggle like crazy. They were way too emo for their own good." They all laughed softly, not wanting to wake the sleeping child Reno held. "Although, I think Loz was okay. He kept Marleen safe in Ajit. Kinda."

"They tried to kill everyone. Does that mean nothing?" Rufus was still in the same position as before, chin resting on his palm.

"Well, Reno tried to kill me and my friends. See how that turned out?"

"A good point." He stood then, walking toward the double doors that lead inside the inn. "I still say you should go home and wait. Have a nice day." Rufus waved his hand behind him and walked inside, Rude following.

"Does he have some sort of special Perfect Hair materia or something?" Yuffie asked, peering after Rufus as he brushed his hair aside.

"Probably. He said he'd only end up in love if a woman had hair more beautiful than his." She turned to him, wickedly grinning. He knew that look. It meant trouble. He loved it. "What deviltry are you thinking up, Yuffie?"

"I know someone with hair more beautiful than his."

**I love playing with these men, I swear there is more fun in it than anything else! Except a pool of lime cubed jello. That would be more fun for like ten minutes. Review please, it makes me smile when you hit that little 'GO!' button!**

**Tagg**


	17. Chapter 17

**Salute, mes amis! Maintenent, ouvre le livre ...okay, time to stop with the french. I've been speaking it lately. Not that I'm fluent in it, but I know some. But, here is ze new chapter! Ready and waiting for your pleasure! (spoken with bad fake French accent) **

**I don't own FF VII or any of her characters. I just use them. Enjoy!**

"I wish we could see what's happening. I told Rude to tape it for us, for blackmail purposes." Reno was lounging on the couch with Yuffie beside him, giggling every so often at the plan she had set in motion. He pulled her closer, laying light kisses on her neck. She giggle again, and shook her hair out of the way.

"Don't worry. Miyuki has the most stunningly beautiful hair in the world. Without the use of materia. Plus, she's geisha trained. She'll have Rufus eating out of her palm in no time." Yuffie turned her head to look at him, which only led Reno to kiss her throat. "You're very bad for doing that, Reno."

"Hmm, you like it. You always say that when you like it." He gently bit her neck, making her gasp slightly. Reno grinned against her neck, trailing kisses to her mouth. She was the one to deepen the kiss, one of her hands coming up to tangle in his hair. He loved it when she did that. It was something she did subconsciously, and Reno had no intention of telling her just how much he loved it. She would stop doing it subconsciously then.

"How do you do that?" She asked a bit breathlessly when he returned his attention to her neck.

"Do what, Kitten?" Yuffie smiled at the name he used. It was a private nickname, one he only used when he was dead set on getting her in bed.

"Make me want you so badly with just a kiss."

"Cause I was made to please you." She almost laughed out loud. The idea was absurd, but it was true. Yuffie made no argument when Reno picked her up and brought her to the bedroom, gently kicking the door shut. He kissed her hungrily after kicking off his shoes. It was like he couldn't get enough of her.

"You're randy today."

"You expect me to behave around you? And do you have any idea how long it's been since I've been laid?" Yuffie grinned, remembering just how large his sexual appetite was. It matched her own appetite. That was one reason they had gotten together in the first place. Not many people could keep up with either of them.

"No, tell me." Reno bit her neck again as he started undressing her.

"Too fucking long."

--------_Meanwhile...-----------_

Rufus was looking at the woman before him with amazement. It wasn't the fact that she was dressed in a traditional Wutain silk kimono, or that she had grace and manners that put a princess to shame. Her face held a simple beauty, one that would stand out in a crowd yet remain unnoticed by most people.

It was her hair that held him. It cascaded down her back in a black waterfall, catching the light like a prism. He watched it move, wanting to stroke it. It fell well past her hips, loose despite it's length. Most women with hair that long wore it in a braid or pinned up. Hers was open to the breeze that wandered in over the garden wall of the tea house he was in. The breeze toyed with her hair as he wished to do, teasing him.

"Doesn't it tangle?" The woman looked up from the tea she was pouring. He watched her hair fall perfectly back into place, looking as though it had never been moved at all.

"Pardon?"

"You're hair. How do you keep it from being tangled?"

"It stays that way."

"You mean it's natural?" He asked in amazement. She nodded, moving her head to one side so that the hair on her shoulder fell to her back. "Amazing."

"Do you like my hair, Rufus-san?"

"Very much."

"Perhaps I will allow you to brush it for me, someday."

"Promise me you'll allow it, and I'll return to Wutai for no other reason." She laughed gently, just as the breeze once again toyed with her hair. "Promise me." He said again, holding out his hand for hers. She laid her hand in his, her skin rose petal soft. Rufus held it gently, noting her perfectly manicured nails. They were natural, and longer than most women could keep without going artificial. Not a paper cut was to be seen on her hand.

"Very well. You may brush it. You will have to return several times before I allow it, Rufus-san."

"As you wish." Miyuki stood up then, and in a few graceful steps was beside him, still with her hand in his. She sat down, so close that Rufus could smell the lily-scented perfume she wore. "Is it not against custom to do other than serve me tea, Miyuki-chan?"

"This is my tea house, and my private garden. I will do as I please here. Do you wish me to return across the table?"

"No! No, stay right where you are." She smiled again at him, the breeze pushing a few strands of hair across her face. Before long, Rufus found himself laying down with his head on her lap, her feeding him small pieces of fruit from a platter he had not noticed was there before. He felt that she was allowing this action, as though she were a goddess that deemed him worthy of her attention. She smiled serenely down at him, stroking a lock of hair from his face with a gentle touch. Her finger barely touched his forehead.

Rufus thought himself greatly daring for taking her hand before it was withdrawn and kissing her fingertips. Her smile widened slightly before taking her hand back and offering him another piece of fruit.

Rude was hidden among some bushes, camcorder in hand and aimed at Rufus. He was actually smiling. This would provide him and Reno with years worth of blackmail. Life would be sweet when they returned to Midgar.

**I don't know about you guys, but I can SO see Rude smiling like a cheshire cat taping that scene. I love it. Heee. Another chapter is along on it's way, merrily teasing you into wanting more...look for it soon!**

**Tagg.**


	18. Chapter 18

**Sooooooo, here is a long awaited update! I've been obsessing with KHII, so forgive the lateness of this. A bunch of fluff, but not a sickening amount. Hope you enjoy! **

**I don't own FF VII or any of her characters. I just use them. **

It was entirely too tempting to once again remove Yuffie's clothes and tumble right back into the bed they had just vacated. He had helped her make it once they were dressed again. At first, she had always been the one to make sure the bed was made in the morning. Reno had begun to help her on the days he did not work. Yuffie was a pro at bed-making, never allowing a bed to look anything but pristine. It was one of his favorite games to seduce her back into the freshly made bed. She would growl at him when he did it, but he would just grin and make her forget about the blankets she had just painstakingly tucked and smoothed.

"You know, Renji hates making his bed as much as you do."

"Is he that much like me, Yuffie?"

"Yep. You both smile the same way, and make the same faces. I cried for days when he was born, cause he looked so much like you. I could barely stand to look at him." Reno stared at her in shock. Yuffie had nothing but love and affection for their son. "Surprised? I was alone and scared, and seeing you in Renji was like being stabbed in the heart every time I looked at him. Then he looked at me, really opened his eyes for the first time, and I just fell in love with him. He was so tiny, Reno. I'll show you some pictures of him when he was just born." She was smiling fondly now, remembering the past few years.

"I wish I could've seen him. I've never held a baby before, or really given one a second glance."

"I know! You'd always roll your eyes at the kids in line to see Santa."

"Does Renji believe in Santa?"

"No. He never bought into it. But he believes in the toothfairy." Reno chuckled, wrapping one arm around her waist and pulling her closer. Yuffie turned to face him, wrapping her own arms around his neck loosely and smiling. "So, do we feel better now?"

"Gods above and below, yes." She giggled at his dramatic statement. "Do you feel better?"

"Yes. It's a shame Renji will wake up soon. I'd go right back into bed with you."

"I was thinking the same thing..." He nuzzled her neck affectionately, not really intending to do anything beyond that. "Hey, Yuffie?"

"Hmmm?"

"Did I tell you that I love you today?"

"You mentioned it in bed. Tell me again, though."

"I love you."

"I love you too." Reno smiled against her neck.

"There still might be time for a quickie..." Yuffie hit him gently on the head, laughing quietly. "What?"

"You horndog."

"You're no better."

"Don't cloud the issue with facts." He chuckled as she led the way out of the bedroom. He soon found a photo album in his lap and Yuffie curled up next to him on the couch. He flipped through the pictures, her narrating and giving details of what it was of and when. He laughed at a few pictures, mostly of the baby shower her friends had given her. Every last person in the pictures, Vincent included, were wearing baby bonnets. Reeve, who had a giant pacifier in his hand as well as a bonnet on his head, looked happy as could be.

He watched as the pictures showed just how big her stomach had gotten. Then there were pictures of her in the hospital, a tiny infant in her arms. She was tired still, but the smile on her face was amazing. He saw Tifa holding the baby, and Barret. The look on the man's face just made him think he was 'gooing' and 'gaaaahing' at the baby.

Renji grew bigger and bigger in each photo. His first birthday had him with cake all over his face, and ice cream splattered on his clothes. The boy was looking at the camera curiously, wondering why it should impede his eating. A picture of him coloring on the walls made him laugh. Reno couldn't remember how many times he had done that as a child. There were picture of Renji holding butterflies and holding up paintings that got progressively better as he aged.

"God...I've missed so much..." Yuffie grabbed one of his arms, hugging it tightly. "How can you forgive me so easily?"

"Cause I love you. That's what you do when you love someone."

Reno sighed and sat the album on the coffee table before leaning back. Yuffie was now hugging him around the waist, her head on his chest. He stroked her hair, marveling at his luck. The times he got to sit with her and just enjoy her company were what he cherished most. The quiet was interrupted by a knock on the front door. Yuffie got up to answer it.

"Mail's here." She opened the door and greeted the uniformed man. He pulled out a bundle of letters and handed them to her before bowing slightly and going on is way. "Let's see..." Yuffie closed the door with a foot and flipped through the mail as she walked back to the couch. "Bills...bills...letter from Shera...hey, there's something for you." Yuffie handed him an envelope, plain brown and with nothing other than 'Reno of the Turkeys' on it. He smirked, knowing who it was from. Tiam had kept his word, sending him a copy of the reports he had made. The first one had what he expected, a person, sex unidentifiable, entering and leaving the park in the early morning hours. The second one, which was much longer, caught his attention.

It was a report from the investigation team sent out today, complete with pictures of several scenes in the wild lands beyond Wutai. He sat forward, reading intently, memorizing every word and image. Yuffie gave him a curious look, then peered over his shoulder, reading the reports as well. When he was done, he handed them over to Yuffie for her to finish.

"You never read those, babe, got it?" Yuffie nodded vaguely. She gave them back when she was done, questioning him with her eyes. "Inside report before it got up the ladder here. Good one, too. Wonder if I could steal him over to the Turks...I'm kidding! Geez...anyway, I wanted to know what happened around here concerning our little 'events' so I got first look at reports." She quirked an eyebrow at him as he knelt before the fireplace. He put his lighter to the first page, making sure it was burnt completely before going on to the next one. "And no, I didn't threaten or blackmail anyone."

"That wasn't complete though."

"I know, but I have a feeling Tseng and Elena will be able to tell us why."

"Reno..."

"Yeah?"

"I'm scared." He looked over at her, startled. Yuffie never admitted to being scared, no matter what the situation was. "What if next time, Renji gets hurt? Or you?"

"We'll be fine. I'm not about to let some asshole hurt my kid." Reno glared at the paper he was burning. "And I'm not a Turk for nothing. I've survived Sephiroth, the Three Clown Clones and three miserable years without you. If that shit won't kill me, this guy doesn't stand a chance." He heard her get up and walk over to him, one hand running through his hair and down his cheek. He looked up, finding a soft smile on her face. Yuffie grabbed another lighter from a box on the mantle and helped him burn the reports.

"Hey, Reno?"

"Yeah?"

"Know one of the reasons I love you so much?"

"Nope. Enlighten me."

"You're so damn cocky."

"Do you mean that literally or figuratively?"

"Both." Reno smirked.

"Thanks."

"No problem."

**I try to end the chapters on an interesting note. Hope I do so for all of you who read this. Do review if you took the time to read this. I love getting the messages that tell me I have reviews. **

**Tagg**


	19. Chapter 19

**YES! At long last, an update! Aren't you happy? I know I am! I've been super busy lately, so that's why there haven't been any updates. I do have a life, contrary to popular belief. Dealing with promotions at work is such a bore. Meh. **

**I don't own FF VII or any of her characters. I just use them. **

"Are you going to tell us why we're working on our vacation, Reno?"

Tseng sounded annoyed, which meant that he was very angry. Whatever expression he had on his face was a mere shadow of what he actually felt. His voice was the same way. Reno, never one to let an opportunity to further annoy his co-workers go to waste, set about irritating Tseng almost to the point of hanging up the phone.

"Depends on what you have to tell me."

"Damn it, Reno! I'm serious."

"So am I." Reno chuckled silently as Tseng growled into the phone. He heard Elena in the background, grumbling. "What happened in the wild blue yonder?"

"The investigation was botched. Handled perfectly by the first crew. Led by a man on chocobo, Tiam I think. The second crew was when things got messed up. Ruined evidence and reports. One guy messed things up, and no one knows who it is. In and out like smoke. Found the tracks he made but he was long gone on a chocobo he had waiting. The chocobo had been there for a while, too. Guy left weird tracks, though. Right foot heavier than the left. Your turn. Why are we working on our vacation?"

"Some asshole's trying to hurt my kid."

"Well, that explains a whole lot, Reno, seeing as you don't HAVE a kid."

"Sure I do. His name's Renji. Looks just like me. Damn cute kid."

"If you don't tell me the real reason right now, I'm hanging up."

"Go ask Rufus about him." Tseng put his hand over the receiver while he was talking to someone. It took a few minutes before Tseng came back.

"You have a KID! Is THAT the reason you avoid this place?"

"No. Is that a good enough reason for working on your vacation, Tseng?"

"Yes, but...damn, you could have said something."

"That's beside the point. What else did your super keen eyes find?"

"The weapon used to shoot at you. Elena got a few prints off it, and the box of ammo. A pop tart wrapper, too. Blue-raspberry flavored, the iced kind, a bottle of water and a piece of floss."

"Floss?"

"Green, mint flavored dental floss."

"The fucker's sitting in the middle of nowhere, eating pop tarts and FLOSSING?"

"Apparently." Reno shook his head.

"Thanks, man."

"You're welcome. When do we get to meet your kid?"

"Soon. He's sleeping right now."

"Elena wants to know if he's really that cute?"

"Yep. It's disgusting how cute he is. Drop by some time and you'll meet him."

"Alright. Bye."

"Yeah."

Reno absently ended the call, thinking about what was in the report Tiam sent him and the added details Tseng gave him. Yuffie was busy in the kitchen, making something for lunch. He didn't know Renji was in the room until the boy yawned. Reno snapped back to reality at the sound. Renji crawled up into his lap and shut his eyes, like he was trying to go back to sleep.

"What's the matter?"

"I'm tired. And thirsty."

"Thirsty I can do something about. Whatcha want?"

"Water."

"Want to come with me or stay here?"

"Go with you."

"Alrighty, to the kitchen we go." Yuffie smiled at them when the entered, but it turned into a playful scowl when Reno got in her way. He grinned at her, then searched for a cup. His hand found a small one, bright orange with dancing onigiri all over the sides. "This is the coolest cup." Yuffie laughed at him, but Renji stayed quiet.

A cup of water duly given to Renji, Reno made his way out of the kitchen, making sure to be in Yuffie's way as much as possible. It always aggravated her, more so than the bedding getting messed up. He made himself comfortable on the couch, leaning back against the cushions before handing Renji the cup. The boy drained it all in three gulps, handing it back to Reno before once again attempting to go back to sleep.

"I hate the rain too." Renji cracked an eye open to look at him. "It always makes me want to sleep the day away." The boy nodded his agreement, then lifted his head when Reno shifted so that he was laying down on the couch. "Much better position for a nap, right?" Renji nodded again. Reno found himself fighting to stay awake, the gentle sounds of his son's breathing lulling him to sleep. The last thing he remembered hearing was the rain intensifying on the roof.

**YESH! Next chapter has the Teenage Turks in it! YAY! I'm going to bring Miyuki in it soon as well. Ah, a woman with hair more beautiful than Rufus! Heh heh. **

**Tagg**


	20. Chapter 20

**And here's another one! This one is short, but highly amusing. I enjoyed it. Elena is just so easy to poke fun at...know what I mean? **

**I don't own FF VII or any of her characters.**

"Aw, when's the rain going to stop? I want to go see Reno's kid..." Elena was pouting at the window, which showed her the wretched weather. The window had no control over the view it offered, and was horribly saddened that Elena was pouting at it.

"Relax, Elena. I'm sure he'll still be there tomorrow."

"Tseng! Don't you want to meet him too? I mean, a miniature Reno? Who's his mom, anyway?"

"Did it just occur to you to ask that, Elena? I thought your observation skills were better than that." Rufus said, not looking up from his book. They were all relaxing in the lobby, seeing as being together was infinitely more amusing than being alone. At least that was the case for Rufus and Rude. Elena and Tseng would probably amuse themselves alone. Rufus preferred not to think on that idea too much. It was bad enough that he was forced to listen to them from time to time, he had no need to think about it.

"Well, you never told us! And I know she lives here."

"Who do you know that lives in Wutai, that Reno also knows?" Elena paused in thought, one hand on her chin as she entered the realm of deep thought. Rufus started humming the time limit song from a game show as she thought. Tseng cracked a smile, and started humming along.

"HEY! You guys are so mean! Why can't you just tell me who it is?" Elena glared at them both, but mostly at Tseng.

"What fun would that be, Elena?" Rufus inquired, again not looking up from his book.

"Sir, did you enjoy your trip to the tea house, earlier?" Tseng asked, trying to divert the group from aggravating each other needlessly. Reno did that more than enough, they did not need to add to it.

"As a matter of fact, I did. It was quite nice. The owner was particularly wonderful."

"Oh?"

"Yes." Rufus spared Tseng a glance, but it was not a particularly kind one. Conversation dropped at that point. Elena abandoned the window for a seat next to Tseng. Rude remained silently watchful. Rufus continued his reading. The weather suited the book's mood perfectly, seeing as it was a murder mystery. He was at a critical point in the story when Elena broke the silence and his concentration.

"The rain's stopping! Let's go!"

"You won't shut up until we go, will you?"

"Probably not."

"Fine. Let's go."

By the time they were ready to leave, the rain had subsided and was replaced by clouds that still held the threat of rain. Rufus led the way, the Turks following behind him like an entourage. When they arrived at the house, the rain had started again. It was so heavy it obscured the view of the house next door.

"Good thing we got here so soon. We'd be soaked!"

"Thank you, Captain Obvious. Really Elena, your observational skills have improved quite a bit since leaving the inn." Rufus decided to ignore the tongue that she stuck out at him. "Have you guessed who's house this is, yet?"

"NO! I don't keep track of Reno's girlfriend's houses."

Rufus sighed and knocked on the door. The house was quiet, but the door opened after a moment, revealing Yuffie. He smiled at her while Rude nodded. She returned the gesture, transferring her gaze to Tseng and Elena. Tseng's jaw was threatening to fall off. Yuffie giggled at him.

Elena stared at her.

Yuffie smiled.

Elena continued to stare at her. Rufus imagined he could hear the cogs turning in the blond woman's head. The only thing lacking from the next moment was a light bulb coming into existence above Elena's head.

"Oh my GAWD! Yuffie! You had Reno's kid?" Elean yelled, both hands balled into fists under her mouth.

"Ding, ding, ding. Ladies and gentlemen, we have a winner."

**Told you it was short. And amusing! Hehe. I hope you enjoyed it! Review it! You read it, just review it, mmmkay? **

**Tagg**


	21. Chapter 21

**At long last! An update! I've been working on another story for a while, and neglected this one a bit. I think the ending to this is rather funny. I think you'll think it's funny too, cause you guys apparently think that what I think is funny...I think. That sentence made my head hurt. **

**I don't own FF VII or any of her stories. I just borrow the characters and don't make any money from them. I also don't own Scooby-Doo. **

"Shhhhhhhhhhhh! You'll wake them up." Yuffie nodded her head to the couch, where they could barely see a splash of bright red hair against the cushions. They crept inside, and made their way to the front of the couch. Elena let out a squeal that was muffled by Tseng's hand over her mouth. Rufus could not help by smile at the scene before him.

Reno was sleeping, Renji laying on his chest and fast asleep as well. They both wore the same expression of complete relaxation. It was not surprising to see it on Renji's face, but Reno was another matter. That man never relaxed when someone else was around. Yet here he was, peacefully sleeping like the child in his arms. Rude pulled out a camera, intent on getting pictures for future use against Reno. He was zooming in on the sleeping duo when the view he had changed dramatically.

The lens was staring down the barrel of a gun.

"Don't even try it, Rude." Reno said, his eyes still closed. He had pulled the gun and aimed it in seconds without opening his eyes.

"Thought you were sleeping."

"Who can sleep with Elena squealing and yelling at the top of her lungs?" Reno asked, cracking one eye open to glare at the group surrounding him. "Why'd you let them in, Yuffie?"

"Cause it's rude to leave them out in the rain."

"Reno! Your kid's so CUTE!" Elena said, half squealing. Tseng tried to put his hand over her mouth but she swatted it away. "How's that possible when you're his dad?"

"How can you say I'm not cute when he looks just like me?" Reno gave her a look full of annoyance.

"He's way cuter than you, Reno!"

"Pipe down, or you'll wake him up." Elena opened her mouth again, only to find Reno's gun pointed at her instead of Rude. She shut it with an audible 'clack' of her teeth.

"'m already up..." Renji said, rubbing his eyes with his hands. Reno quickly put away the gun, hoping Renji had not seen it. "Who're they?" His speech was slightly slurred with sleepiness, and he blinked at the group of people before him.

"Oh, you are just TOO CUTE!" Elena squealed again. Every male present rolled their eyes, while Yuffie smiled.

"He's adorable, isn't he?" She asked, coming over to Elena.

"YES!"

"You're loud." Renji said to Elena, looking at her. Reno smiled and laughed.

"You got that right, buddy."

"HEY! That's no way to talk in front of your kid!"

"It's the truth, though. 'From the mouths of babes' and all that."

"Oh, you're so mean, Reno!"

"Enough, children." Yuffie said, gaining everyones attention. She had her hands on her hips in mock anger.

"But Mooooooooooooooooom!" They both said in unison, using whining voices. They shared a glare before looking back to Yuffie.

"But nothing! Behave or I'll send you both to bed without dessert!" Elena huffed and turned away from Reno with her arms crossed while Reno stuck his tongue out at her back.

"You're friends are weird, Daddy." Reno ruffled his son's hair and gave him a lop-sided grin.

"They sure are. The loud one is Elena, and the tall guy's Tseng." Elena turned back around with a hop to smile at Renji. Tseng simply inclined his head and said 'hello'.

"Hi."

-----Later on-----

After an entertaining lunch, everyone gathered in the living room with a cup of tea. Renji was watching cartoons with Reno and Tseng, who were sitting on the floor. Reno was acting as Renji's chair. He and his father had the same enthralled expression on their faces as they watched the television. Yuffie snickered every time she looked over at them.

"Reno, you act like you've never soon a cartoon before." Tseng said during a break in the action.

"Cause I haven't." Reno said, never taking his eyes from the television set.

"Really?"

"Yeah. Never watched them as a kid. This stuff is great!"

"You like Scooby-Doo too, Daddy?" Renji asked, keeping his eyes on the screen as well.

"Yeah. I bet it was the creepy butler that stole the family jewels." He managed to say this with a straight face, which was an incredible feat for him. Tseng grinned at his friend without looking away from the screen.

"No way. The rich guy did it."

"The rich guy was kidnapped! He can't be the thief."

"I think he kidnapped himself, and he's running around in a swamp monster costume."

"You mean it's not a real monster?" Reno whined.

"They never are. It's fun to find out who's the bad guy. Sometimes, it's even a GIRL in the costume!"

"You're kidding! A girl? Girls can't be monsters!" Renji nodded seriously before answering.

"They are. One thought she was a vampire, cause this guy hypnothized her."

"Hypnotized."

"That's what I said."

"Well," Tseng said, taking a sip of tea. "My money's on the mean neighbor, Mrs. McMealison."

"You think, Mr. Tseng?"

Rufus, Yuffie and Elena were on the couch while Rude occupied the arm chair, watching the show as well. They were all laughing silently at the trio on the floor as they continued debating who was the 'bad guy' in this episode.

"How old is he, Yuffie?" Elena asked. She was happy to be back in Yuffie's company after so long. She was the only one would not laugh at her squeals of delight and that made Yuffie her favorite female friend.

"Three and a half. Doesn't sound like it, does he?"

"Nope. He really is cute, though. I could just squeeze him forever! You should make plushies of him! Everyone would buy one!" Rufus chuckled and Yuffie laughed outright.

"Nah. I can't sew to save my life. Besides, Renji's mine. I'm not sharing cuddles, even if it is through a plushie."

"No one would blame you there, Yuffie." Rufus said, giving the trio on the floor an amused look. "Although, Elena's right. You would make an obnoxious amount of money." Yuffie was about to reply but her voice was overpowered by Reno.

"BOOO! Why'd they have to put a commercial break RIGHT before Freddie unveils his plan?"

"It's like they're both kids." Yuffie observed.

"This is very true. I would hate to see what would happen if they were both denied dessert."

"Don't even think about it. Last time Renji didn't get a fudge-cicle, he cried for an hour."

"An hour? Over a fudge-cicle?" Yuffie nodded. "Remind me not to have children any time soon." Yuffie smiled at that, and Rufus stopped his tea cup half way to his mouth at it. "What?"

"Nothing." She looked entirely too innocent for an innocent person. "You'll meet someone you'll want kids with. And then I'll laugh at you when you have to change a diaper for the first time." Elena snickered behind her cup, ignoring the glare Rufus sent her by studying the television.

"I highly doubt that."

"Why? I never thought I'd want kids."

"You actually WANTED Reno's kid?" Rufus looked and sounded surprised.

"Yeah. Never thought it would happen the way it did, but I'm not complaining about it. I've got a great kid."

"Aww, it makes me want to have one! Tseng!" Elena nearly yelled. The man turned to look at her, slightly annoyed at being called away from the show. "Let's have babies!" All the color drained from Tseng's face and his eyes tried to fall out of his head. Everyone but Reno and Renji sputtered, trying to hold in laughter.

"Tseng." Rufus said. The man looked at his boss with something like fear in his eyes.

"Yes, sir?"

"Get her pregnant and I'll deduct your pay."

"Shut up, will you?" Reno yelled, sounding peeved. "They're about to reveal the monster's identity!"

**Short, but the next chapter is going to be a doozie! Hope you liked it! **

**Tagg**


	22. Chapter 22

**Man, Dirge of Cerberus is entirely too addicting. I've been playing it for like three days straight. The weather sucks, it just needs to finish raining and let me not have a migraine. Wretched weather. Anywho, this chapter is...interesting. And not in a good way interesting. It makes me wonder about my mind when I write things like this. **

**I don't own FF VII or any of her characters. I also don't own The Full Monty, or David Hasselhoff. (Doesn't it make you wonder when those two things are put in the same sentence?)**

-_ring-_

_"Hello?" _

"Tseng. Morning. Got a question for you."

"_Reno? It's seven-thirty in the morning. I'll wring your neck when I see you." _

"Yeah, yeah. The guy in the woods shooting at the helicopter. Which leg did you say was heavier than the other?"

_"What? Uh...the right one. Why?" _

"Cause there's a guy in front of me and he's limping like his right foot is heavier than his left. And he just bought some dental floss from the drug store."

_"You know that he bought dental floss?" _

"Followed him in. Wake up and get down here. Rude's already on the way."

_"You own us big time for working while we're here." _

"Yeah, yeah. Just hurry."

Reno hung up the phone and continued to follow the man down several streets. He left his communicator on so the other Turks could follow the signal. He was five blocks from the drug store when Rude called him, letting him know they were in position. At the next intersection, Reno caught up with the man, gently slapping the man on the back as though they were friends.

"Hey there, pal! Been a while, hasn't it?" He sounded cheerful, but the look he gave the man was anything but friendly. It was the 'Try Anything and You'll Find Out What Your Spleen Looks Like' look, patent pending. The man jumped and stared at Reno for a moment before breaking out in a cold sweat and moving a foot to the left. "Wouldn't try that." The man looked to the left and found Rude walking casually toward them. The other two directions were covered by Tseng and Elena. He looked behind him, and found something completely unexpected. Rufus Shinra smiling at him, hands casually held in his pockets.

Reno gave his boss a small wave, surprised as well at seeing Rufus.

"Hey, let's go get breakfast! I know just the place! Or do you want to make a scene? You'd have to explain why your fingerprints were found on that rifle in the woods now, wouldn't you?"

"I-I do-"

"Great! The gang's all here, so let's go!"

"I'm not-"

"Don't you worry, I'm buying." The man was practically dragged down the street, stumbling every so often and sweating bullets. They were on the palace steps when he tried to jerk away, but Reno's grip on his shoulder prevented it. "No, it's this way! Godo'll be SO happy to see us."

-----In Godo's study-----

"What is the meaning of this! How dare you come back in here, Tu-who is that?"

"This?" Reno pushed the man into a chair. He fell into it, hands gripping the armrests hard. "This is the guy that tried to hurt Renji."

"What?" Godo was outraged, leaping to his feet and glaring at Reno. "What are you talking about?"

"Didn't you know, Lord Godo?" Rufus said, calmly taking the other chair in the room. Reno had his eyes on the sweating man. It made him more nervous than could be accounted for. "This man tried to shoot down the helicopter Renji was riding in the other morning. I would imagine the report has been 'lost' so that you wouldn't know about it." Godo stared in stark disbelief. "Would you like to see the bullet holes in the helicopter? Or would you rather match his fingerprints to that on the gun? We have that, and genetic material from some dental floss found at the scene."

"Floss? He was FLOSSING while shooting?"

"Hey." Reno said, still looking at the man. "Why do you believe the President and not me?"

"Because you are a scoundrel and liar."

"This is true. I'm more interested in interviewing this guy than your views on my personality, though."

"What makes you think I will allow you to do such a thing to a citizen?"

"This man nearly killed your grandson. Do you really think he deserves to be protected?" Rufus asked.

"No." The look Godo gave the man seated before him was chilling, but it was somehow more welcome than the cold smile Reno wore.

---Below the Palace---

The cell was neither small nor large. It was dark and musty from disuse. Shackles hung from the walls, rusted, but holding bitter memories that seemed to haunt the 'dungeon'. This was the place traitors to the Throne feared to go. Most would commit suicide before coming here. It was eerily silent, not even the sound of water dripping or the squeak of a mouse breaking it.

The man was bound to a metal chair, chains in place around his torso, holding his arms rigidly to his sides. Similar chains held his legs and feet in place. He could barely breath without straining against them. He was staring at the floor, and had ignored Tseng and Godo when they tried to get answers out of him. He heard the cell door open and close again, ignoring the new person that had entered until he saw a flash of red hair. His head shot up, fear making his eyes widen.

"See, you get to talk to me if you don't want to talk to them. I'll ask you just once. Who ordered you to hurt my son?" He remained silent and returned to staring at the wall. "Okay, good. I was hoping you'd do that." Reno pulled something out of his jacket pocket. It was a book. He could not read the title on the spine from his angle without turning to look at it. "Let's see. 'Torture for Dummies'. Blah, blah, tie up the person, got that part down. Blah, blah, blah, make sure the person is awake and sane." Reno leaned down to look closely at the man's face. "Got it."

_'Ensure the victim is reasonably healthy, seeing as the torture process is lengthy and highly lethal for the victim,especially at the hands of a beginner such as yourself. This guide will take you step by step through the most popular tortures of all time. There is the ever popular 'Water Torture', which the Wutainese have perfected. (Keep in mind this is a lengthy process, so those of you with short attention spans should chose another form of torture.) Disembowelment is another popular choice, but requires the use of several implements not readily available to the public. (Your local butcher shop should have the supplies needed for this.) There are four chapters dedicated to psychological torture, some with required time spans of years to a few hours. (A staff favorite is to have the victim subjected to Mr. Hasselhoff performing 'The Full Monty' as a one man play, in person.) Plus a few no one really wants to think about.' _ The Hoff ISN'T part of the 'don't want to think about it' category? That's just wrong."

"Hey, let's skip to that part! I bet I'm a natural at this shit." Reno lit a cigarette, taking a drag as he flipped through the book. He paused, turning the book to the side and making a disgusted face at it. "Man, that's just nasty. Who wants to swallow their own balls?"

"It won't work." Reno looked at the man, cigarette sitting on his lips . "Torture is no longer used in civilized countries."

"See, here's the thing. You could have talked to them," Reno indicated the men standing outside the cell with a thumb over his shoulder. "But, you didn't, which means I get to try out my new book. I've been dying to use it."

"You wouldn't dare. You have no authority here."

"Think again. Who do you think locked the door after me? Hmm?" Reno was still flipping through the book, scanning the pages. "Let's see...removal of bones by joint, by classification...how to take out bones while leaving most of the skin intact, might be interesting." The page was dog-eared. "Castration...nah, I'm not one for having to touch another man's balls." Reno shuddered slightly at the thought. "Elena might like that one. Um...Angry Cats. I like that one. We'll try that. And one more, for good measure. Hmm...here's a good one! '_How to skin someone alive.'_ Alright!"

_'This is an age old art, first used by hunters to skin prey for their furs. This was valuable knowledge to primitive man, who used it on a weekly basis. It begins with an incision on the abdomen of the animal, opening the body cavity, allowing the entrails to be removed or saved. (Ox hearts, while difficult to come by to primitive man, were much sought after. Dining on the entrails of your victim would of course cause a great deal of psychological damage to them, but they would quickly die of blood loss, thus negating the torture routine. What's the point of torture if they don't live to scream through it?) _

_It was first used on a daily basis by the Barbarians of the North, who, being war-like and, well, barbaric, decided it would be a great way to subdue the masses. It did indeed work, but they lacked a use for the skins and began using them as kites after they were tanned.' _

"That's nasty, body shaped kites."

_'For best effect, the victim must be sane and strapped securely to a table. A chair will do in a pinch, but tends to make the skin rip rather than stay in one piece. Now, the tools you will require are: scalpel or other small, sharp knife with a thin blade; waterproof tarp; spray bottle of salt-water, elbow length rubber gloves; butcher's apron; fishing boots; and a strong stomach.' _

"Well, shit, all I've got is the knife and the strong stomach. Wonder what the salt-water's for. Any ideas, guy?" Reno nudged the man's foot with one of his own. "Guess you're not so clever, huh? You'd have to be pretty stupid to take orders from someone that picks YOU to do some dirty work. I've seen teenagers do a better job than you."

"You know nothing! There is no way in hell you can do such a thing."

"Then why are you sweating so much?"

"..."

"Cause you know that I know you did it. Alright, let's get started. Damn it, now I've gone and lost my place!" Reno was furiously flipping pages, trying to find his place. "There! Found it." The page was dog-eared, and Reno began fumbling for something in his pocket.

_'Ensure the victim is securely held in place, the less mobility the better. Jerky movements, like the ones you will soon witness, make for jagged edges on the removed skin. You should always strive for clean cuts. While partially for aesthetics, this aids in keeping the removed skin intact rather than in several pieces. (On your first try, you will probably remove chunks of flesh along with the skin. It is completely normal. Finesse comes with practice.)' _

_'Once the victim is secured, take the knife and insert it directly into the flesh.' _

"Okay, take knife," Reno removed a knife from his pocket while coming to stand at the man's shoulder. He placed the point on the flesh. "And insert." Reno quickly jabbed the knife into the skin, half way up the hilt. The man screamed in pain and anger.

"What the hell are you doing!"

_'Make sure the knife blade is not buried.' _

"Whoops." Reno pulled the blade mostly out, keeping the tip in the wound.

_'Once the blade is inserted properly, tilt it to a forty-five degree angle.' _

The man screamed as Reno moved the knife inside his flesh. He tried vainly to pull away from the knife and from the man that held it. Reno made an annoyed face at him, smacking him on the head with his book.

"Quiet, I'm trying to make sure I do this right."

"YOU'RE INSANE! LET ME OUT OF HERE THIS INSTANT! LORD GODO WILL NEVER STAND FOR THIS!"

"Godo's outside the door right now, fuck-tard. All you had to do was talk to Tseng there, but you didn't, so this is what you get for messing with my kid. Now shut up and take it like a man."

_'Keeping your knife at this angel, make a long cut, at least twelve inches.' _Reno had to raise his voice to be heard over the man's screams. He heard a set of feet shifting outside the cell. He hoped Godo would keep playing along with this for a little longer. _'Now, remove your knife and re-insert it in the incision, this time at a ninety-degree angle. (It gets a little messy here, so if you have an assistant, make sure they sop up all the blood pouring out of the wound.)' _ Reno did so, but paused half way down the incision.

"Wait, how am I supposed to start peeling skin back from one cut?" He held the book closer to his face, letting out a jubilant cry. "I have to make two more cuts like the first one! Duh, I'm not good enough to do it with just a single cut. Okay, so, let's make two more..."

"NO, YOU SICK BASTARD! NO!"

"I'll make them going toward your face, so that you can see the skin I'm peeling off." The knife point was set at the top of the original cut, poised to make another one.

"SAKUYA! SAKUYA HAWATARI!"

"Huh? Oh, he's the guy that hired you? What a pansy sounding name. Is he gay?" Reno said, once again inserting the knife point into the man's flesh.

"YOU SON OF A BITCH! I'LL TALK, JUST GET THIS PSYCHO AWAY FROM ME!"

"Aw, man. Here I was just getting into it..." Reno was almost pouting as Tseng walked into the cell. Tseng only raised an eyebrow at him before turning his attention to the now bleeding man in the chair.

"Why?"

"He was the one favored by Godo for marriage into the Kisaragi Clan before she got pregnant. But Yuffie can't marry with that kid around."

"I don't like liars, Mr. Siun. Reno, have at it."

"Great! Where were we..." The man started to sweat again and nearly hyperventilated when the knife was against his skin. "Stop squirming. You're making the cuts all jagged, and the book says that makes the skin come off in pieces instead of-"

"I DON'T CARE! GET AWAY FROM ME!"

"Nope." Reno made the second and third incisions while the man screamed, ignoring him. "Okay, hold the knife at a ninety-degree angle...make a tiny cut along the line of the first incision...repeat several times to begin the process. Man, this is taking longer than I thought it would."

"Stop. I'll...tell the truth. I swear it...just stop." The man was trembling, but he was telling the truth finally.

"Out with it, then." Tseng once again stepped forward, temporarily obscuring the man's view of Reno.

"Revenge. He wants revenge."

"Revenge for what, Mr. Siun?"

"He was slighted by Yuffie when he put forth a marriage proposal four years ago. She said she'd rather marry a Turk." Reno snickered at that. "He takes honor seriously, and he thinks she tainted his. He hired me to get rid of the kid, then shame her."

"Why you?"

"I don't care one way or another what happens to them, but he offered me a great deal of money."

"And?"

"And, he offered to let me have her, when it was over."

"Anything else?"

"He provided anything I needed, the gun, the chocobo, a year's worth of dental floss."

"What will he do to Ms. Kisaragi?"

"I don't know. I don't care. Just so long as I get her when he's done as I was promised."

"Thank you, Mr. Siun. Have a good day." Tseng walked out of the room, Reno leaving with him. They ignored the yells from inside the cell, demanding he be healed and set free. "Lord Godo, do you know this Sakuya Hawatari's location?"

"Know it? He's the man in charge of the city's patrol system and police, not to mention security."

"Explains why you never got a report on the park and the helicopter." Reno said, lighting another cigarette. "You got a problem with me taking care of him, Godo?"

"You can't go around killing citizens like it's nothing! Were you raised by wolves?"

"Who said I'd kill the bastard?" Reno grinned, and it made Godo glance at the book he still held.

"Where in the world did you find a book like that?"

"This?" Reno held it up for Godo to see. "This is a translation of the Scriptures of the Ancients. What? You act like I can't read or something." He shook his head and walked to the stairs leading up to the ground floor, reading aloud from the book.

_'...the Dark God's arrow shot from the heavens and buried in the earth. The Shadow which wears Darkness as it's cloak. It shall be both savior and destructor, flooding the world with chaos and hope...' _

The rest of the Turks and Godo stood stock still, staring after Reno. Elena was the first to move, making her own way up the stairs. Tseng turned to Rude before following the other's upstairs.

"Was he really making that up?"

"No idea."


	23. Chapter 23

**Long time no update! This is short. I need it short, cause it ties up loose ends. I didn't particularly want to have a long-winded confrontation, and I think this fits perfectly. I have the next chapter in editing. **

**Sakuya Hawatari is the name of the guy that hired the guy to hurt Renji. Got it? **

**I don't own FF VII or any character therein. I'd be filthy rich if that were the case. And I'm not, so that sucks for me. **

When Sakuya Hawatari woke up, he could not move. His first thought was that he had been captured and restrained, possibly drugged into his current condition. The list of possible suspects came into his mind. Several names were on that list, but none of them had the capability to pull such a stunt successfully. He tried to survey his surroundings, to get an idea of his whereabouts. There was little he could see until he regained control of his body, but the room itself was dark, as though it were night. It was a white room, with a white ceiling and what appeared to be a window to his left. The darkness was less on that side. There was a repetitive 'whoosh' along with a beep that seemed close by.

"Finally awake?" The sound of a chair moving across the floor cut though the beeps . "Good. It sucks about what happened." The voice was familiar, but Sakuya could not quite place who it belonged to. "Seems there's some psycho running around doing copy-cat assaults that happened a hundred years ago. He catches his victims off guard and paralyzes them. Completely. The victim can't do a damn thing but blink. He can't even breathe on his own." Sakuya felt his heart-rate speed up, and the beeping increased in time with it. "It's pretty impressive, actually. All he does is crack your neck a certain way and -BAM!- you're done for."

"I tried to track him down. Actually, all the Turks did." A head with bright red hair appeared over him, smirking. "I pulled it as a favor from my boss. The president wasn't happy about it, but he did it anyway. He likes my kid, so I guess it softened him up a little. Too bad you can't tell us what the guy looked like. Oh well. We've got you in a private hospital in Edge, with President Shinra footing the bill. You should be thankful."

A memory sprang into Sakuya's mind.

_His home office was before him, but at a very different angle than he was used to seeing it. The wood floor was cool against the side of his face. He groaned at a pain on the back of his head as he tried to sit up. _

_"Finally awake? Good." He turned his head toward the voice, eyes focusing on a lit cigarette and red hair. _

_"Reno. Damn Turk...you're...a dead man." _

_"You're funny, you know that?" Reno walked over to him, and planted on knee against his back, forcing Sakuya back onto the floor. _

_"If you kill me...Yuffie will never forgive you..."_

_"She's pretty upset that you tried to hurt Renji. Might try to kill you herself. Come to think of it, I'm pretty pissed that a dipshit like you tried to hurt Renji. And who said I was going to kill you? I plan on leaving your ass alive for as long as you can survive." He felt two hands on his head, one holding his chin and the other near the crown of the skull. "A hundred years ago, there was this doctor that pretty much went nuts. His female patients all wound up dead. Three had broken necks. Two of them had collapsed jugulars. One of them lived for a little while, but she was a vegetable. Died an hour after getting to a hospital. They found the guy eventually. Searched his house. Found a girl in his basement, on life-support. There were flowers and stuffed animals on the bedside table. Curtains hung up to look like there were windows. Pretty fucked up, isn't it? I researched the case a lot. Thought it was interesting. I found all his notes too. Had to break into protected files to get them, though." _

_"What...are you getting...at?"_

_"Well, they thought the girl was another vegetable. She wasn't. She was alive, and conscious. Poor girl was completely paralyzed though. She couldn't even move her eyes to see anything. All the mad-doctor did, was crack her neck a certain way and -BAM!-" Sakuya felt his head jerk to the right and back in a arc, a sickening series of cracks echoed in his ears, and he suddenly found it hard to breath. "You're done for." Cigarette smoke flowed around him as he fell hard onto the floor. "Would it surprise you to know that I study anatomy and bone structure? Comes in handy when you need to incapacitate someone really quick." _

Sakuya Hawatari was screaming inside his mind. The heart-rate monitor started to beep at an alarming rate, and several nurses ran into the room yelling instructions and forcing Reno from his line of sight. The last thing he remembered was the smirk on Reno's face when he realized that he knew who had attacked him.

**Outside the hospital...**

Reno lit a cigarette as he walked to the car parked in front of the hospital. He was still wearing the smirk on his face that he gave to Hawatari. It was reflected back at him in the passenger window. Reno decided that it was indeed creepy, as Rude put it. Sliding into his seat, he nodded at Rude, who put the car in gear and started to drive.

"Put that out, Reno."

"Huh?" Reno turned around slightly and blinked at Rufus. "Oh, yeah. Sorry." He took another drag as he rolled down the window.

"And don't throw it out the window, either."

"Picky, picky."

"Put on your seatbelt as well. Yuffie will be upset if I send you back to Wutai injured."

"What the hell? She's MY girlfriend, not yours. You've got no reason to be scared of her."

"When a woman can throw a sharp, multi-pointed object with disturbing accuracy, I tend to respect her wishes."

"Never thought of that." Reno said thoughtfully. "I'm scared of her when she's pissed. She can make you scream like a sissy."

"How?" Reno grinned at his partner. Rude was always curious about how Yuffie managed to keep him in line.

"Let's just say she can almost relocate your nuts to your esophagus with one kick."

"That bad?" Reno nodded. "Huh."

"Hey, boss. When do I get to go back?" Rufus raised an eyebrow at the eagerness in Reno's voice. "Don't give me that face!"

"What face?"

"The one you're giving me right now. You'd want to go back to Wutai if you had a girl waiting for you there."

"We go back at the end of the week. Which happens to be tomorrow."

"We? As in 'you' we?"

"Yes. I'm offering your skills and service to Lord Godo in catching that maniac which attacked the security officer. It's only proper to do so in person. People are much more polite in Wutai than in other parts of the world. You should remember that, Reno."

"Wait a minute. Why do you REALLY want to go back?"

"You doubt my intentions?" Rufus raised an eyebrow at him again, which made Reno glower.

"There you go with that look again. And yes, damn it, I doubt your intentions. What, or who, are you going back there for?"

"I'm going back to see the natural beauty." Reno snickered and turned back to the front of the car while Rude coughed to cover up a bark of laughter. They both knew he was going back to see Miyuki, but they did not want to give up their store of knowledge just yet. "What's so funny?"

"You don't normally like that kind of shit, boss. Not your cup of tea." Rude coughed again, hiding his smile behind one hand. Reno slapped his back a few times, nearly bursting into laughter at his partner's expression. "You need a cough drop or something, man?" Rude shook his head. "How bout a cookie, then?"

"Shut up."


	24. Chapter 24

**Whew! I've been trying to get this chapter right for weeks. This leads up to an interesting next chapter. Enjoy!**

**I don't own FF VII or any of her characters. My plot-bunnies just gnaw on it. **

"YUFFIE!"

Yuffie turned around at the sound of someone calling her name, scanning the people walking down the street she was on. An arm was waving, which was attached to a pretty brunette that was coming toward her.

"Hey, Tifa! What're you doing here?" She hugged her friend tightly, cutting off Tifa's air supply momentarily.

"Surprise visit! I haven't seen you since Renji's last birthday party. Speaking of Renji, where is he?" Tifa peered around quickly, trying to find the bright red hair of her 'nephew'.

"Renji's at home." Tifa blinked in surprise, making Yuffie laugh. "The boys decided that I should spend the afternoon shopping."

"Boys?"

"Yeah, Reno and Renji."

"WHAT?!"

"Don't yell! People are staring! And no glaring either! You're not allowed to hurt him." Yuffie crossed her arms, giving her friend a firm look. Tifa, who looked twice as large when she was angry, shrank back to normal size. She still had a glare in her eyes, though.

"Why's he here NOW? That jerk should have been here years ago!"

"Tifa, I told you that he didn't know. But he finally listened to his voice mail, he said. Stood on my porch, soaking wet, and saying all the horrible things about himself that _I _wanted to say about him. When he met Renji...it was so CUTE! They just stared at each other with the same look on their faces."

"You mean he's here, with you and Renji, and you're okay with it?"

"Yep. You should see them together, Tifa! Oh, and when the take naps together, it's just so damn CUTE you could die! I have a picture on my phone!" Yuffie pulled the device out, and handed it over to Tifa. An unintentional squeal escaped her lips at the image on the screen.

"SO CUTE!"

"I know! I can't stay in the same room when they're like that. Don't get me started on them watching cartoons, either. Reno's never seen most of them, so there's this look of awe on both their faces." She giggled, a sound Tifa had not heard for years. It made her smile.

"So why are you out shopping?"

"Don't know. They both shooed me out of the house. They've been whispering and planning for days. Renji even made diagrams with crayons."

"If they're planning on cooking anything, I hope you have fire insurance."

"Hahaha! Would you believe Reno learned how to cook?"

"No way!"

"Yep." They continued chatting as they walked back toward Yuffie's house. It was still standing and lacked smoke of any kind pouring out of it, so they proceeded inside. Yuffie looked around the house, Tifa beside her and eager to see Reno with Renji. They heard uproarious laughter and giggles from the kitchen. Sharing a look they peered inside, finding what could only be described as a mess.

"What are you doing to my kitchen?!" Yuffie shrieked. All action stopped except for the spray of whipped cream hitting Reno in the face. Renji, who was holding the offending can of whipped cream blinked and dropped it, sending another spray of whipped cream onto the floor and cabinets. Reno began rubbing the back of his head and smiled slightly.

"Heh...you, ah, weren't supposed to be back til three..."

"It's two fifty-three!" She was staring at her kitchen in shock. Tifa was looking in over her shoulder with wide eyes. "What in the world are you doing to my kitchen?!"

"It's a surprise?"

"Well, it's a surprise alright..."

"No!" Renji yelled, jumping to get his mother's attention. "Don't look around, you'll ruin the surprise! Please Mommy! We'll clean it up! Promise!"

"But-"

"Out, Yuffie, or we'll hug you."

"Fine!" Yuffie threw her hands in the air and stalked into the living room, Tifa laughing into her hand behind her. She turned on her friend with a scowl, contemplating whether or not she could land a punch before Tifa got out of the way.

"Come on, it was funny! You know you want a picture of their faces when you walked in!"

"Okay, fine!"

"Looks like they get along well."

"They do. Renji can't get away with any kind of mischief anymore, either. It's like Reno has a sixth sense for it."

"Really? I'd have thought he'd be helping make mischief, not stopping it."

"Me too. Apparently, Reno's tried everything Renji can think up and knows just how dangerous it is and the chance of success. They were watching cartoons one day, and Renji got up and went to the closet, but Reno said 'It only works for two seconds, then it hurts.' Renji sighed and sat back down beside him."

"What did he want to do?"

"Jump off the roof with an umbrella."

"You're kidding!" Yuffie nodded. "Wow. It's a good thing for you he's here, then, if Renji tries things like that."

"Yeah...Tifa, he get's Renji to laugh and play. Really laugh. And he has friends closer to his age he plays with in the park now. He plays. Plays!" Tifa had lost count of how many times Yuffie had cried on her shoulder about Renji. Everyone had been surprised at how intelligent Yuffie's son was. None of them knew how taxing it was on his mother until his third birthday. Renji had just been put in bed, and she was helping Yuffie clean up the kitchen when she just burst into tears. They had tried to comfort her, but there was nothing they could do to help. "I'm so glad...he gets to play. I never got him to do it, but Reno does. They were flying kites the other day, and Renji didn't even ask how they stayed in the air."

"That's great. But, is Reno here for good? He's a Turk, after all."

"Officially," They both turned to the door, finding Rufus Shinra and Rude entering the house. "Reno is here to track down a criminal that threatened the ruler's daughter and grandson. Hello Yuffie, Tifa. The door was unlocked, so we let ourselves in." Tifa waved slightly, not knowing if she should be alarmed or not. "How have you been?"

"Great! If you're going to be here this often, Rufus, you should get a house. Miyuki would love to have you around more often." There was a sly smile on Yuffie's face that Tifa did not miss. Rufus, meanwhile, was sending a dirty look Yuffie's way.

"If it wasn't so pleasant a turn of events, I'd be angry at you for planning that."

"But you're not, so sit down. I'd offer something to drink, but I'm not allowed in the kitchen right now. Not that I want to go in it anyway."

"Ah, so the plan has come to fruition?" Rufus was leaning back on the sofa beside Yuffie. Rude took an armchair, nodding at the two women.

"You knew about that?"

"Naturally. Think of it as payback."

"Payback for what?" Tifa asked, blinking.

"Oh, you remember Miyuki, from the tea house?" At Tifa's nod, Yuffie continued. "I set her and Rufus up. They're attached at the hip now!"

"We are not attached at the hip, thank you."

"Oh, so where would you rather be attached at?" Tifa nearly snorted trying to hold in her laughter.

"When did you guys get to be friends like this?" she asked, looking at the three other people in the room.

"Well, I was friends with all the Turks before, and Rufus just sort of joined us one day. Turns out he's pretty tolerant of little boys that drag him butterfly catching."

"And sandcastle building." Rufus added. Tifa just stared at him, jaw hanging down. "You're very pretty with that expression, Tifa, but if you keep it there a man might get ideas."

"Hey!" A half-smile was on Rufus' face at her outburst while it was Yuffie's turn to laugh. They were interrupted by footsteps entering the living room, which turned out to be Reno, carrying Renji, going toward the bathroom. Rufus blinked and Rude lowered his sunglasses for a second to get a better look at his partner.

"Reno?"

"Yeah? Oh, hey, didn't think you'd be here yet. Hey Tifa."

"Reno, do I want to know why the two of you are wearing whipped cream?"

"Just a little fun, sir. We've got to get cleaned up real quick. And you," he said, looking at Yuffie. "Are not allowed in the kitchen under ANY circumstances, got it?" They disappeared down the hallway with Renji greeting them.

"Hi Mr. Rude, Mr. Rufus! We'll be right back!"

"Alright, Renji. We'll be right here." Rufus replied. "It's frightening how much alike those two are..."

It didn't take very long for them to get cleaned up. Yuffie and the rest were instructed to sit down around the coffee table and close their eyes. There was a clatter of plates and a very excited 'OKAY!' from Renji. He was eagerly looking at his mother, waiting to see her reaction. She didn't disappoint him. Yuffie gasped at her surprise. A strawberry shortcake was sitting on a large plate in front of her. It was slightly lopsided and strawberries were falling out from between the cakes. A mountain of whipped cream sat on top of it, threatening to fall off at any moment.

"Do you like it, Mommy?"

"Oh, goodness! Of course I like it! Did you make it all by yourselves?"

"Yes! Daddy made the cake part, but he dropped first bowl of strawberries on the floor, so we had to make more. I did all the rest of it, though."

"You weren't supposed to tell them I dropped the strawberries, Renji." Renji slapped a hand over his mouth while the others his laughs and snickers behind hands or coughs. Yuffie reached over and hugged her son tightly before cutting the cake. She managed to do it without anything flopping over. It turned out to be delicious. Very little was left of the cake once everyone was finished.

"That was so yummy! Thank you! I have the best son in the world." Renji was being squeezed in another hug, which he was enthusiastically returning. Reno was stacking plates while licking whipped cream off one finger. He winked at his son before going into the kitchen. He sighed at the mess he still had to clean up. The whipped cream was gone, but the floor was still sticky, not to mention the pile of dishes next to the sink to clean up. He jumped when two arms wrapped around his middle, nearly dropping the stack of plates he held.

"Hey, sorry about the kitchen."

"It's okay." Yuffie released him and took the plates from his hands. "You really did spend all day on that, didn't you?"

"Yeah. It was fun. I kinda wish you'd been there for the whipped cream fight, though." He grinned at her expression. She was giving him a perfectly level stare. It stayed there until Reno picked her up and set her on the counter. "It'd be fun to lick it off you."

"Hmm..." Yuffie was the one to start the kiss, but he was caught off guard by her tongue. There was something about the way she kissed him that turned him on beyond belief. They both knew nothing would happen, but it felt great to lose himself to her body. She was so tiny he almost engulfed her.

"Hey, get a room you two!" They broke apart to find Tifa mock-glaring at them, hands in fists.

"We ARE in a room. It's not our fault you barged in."

"Yuffie, tell your boyfriend not to take that tone of voice with me!"

"Reno, don't take that tone of voice with Tifa, even if she DID barge in." He laughed at that, stepping away from Yuffie to find a mop.

"There's no door to the kitchen, so there's no way I couldn't barge in!"

"Good point. Yuffie! Why are you doing the dishes?"

"Uh...cause they're dirty?"

"I'll get this. You go and play, damn it." Yuffie shrugged and went back to the living room, but Tifa stayed where she was. "Something you want? If you're gunna hit me, wait until the kid's asleep."

"No, I don't want to hit you anymore." She was leaning against the counter, arms crossed. "I forgot how in love you two were. Are. But, what happened? Yuffie never said."

"What you just said. I didn't want to be in love. I hated the idea that my happiness was tied to someone other than myself. I'd have done anything, and I mean anything, just to get her to smile. Scared the piss out of me, so I ran away."

"And did you really not know about Renji?"

"Nope. Look, there's really no way you can make me feel more like a piece of shit than I already do, so can we skip right to the part where you threaten me with death if I hurt her again?" Tifa turned away from him and started to wash the dishes Yuffie had put in the sink. "What the hell are you doing?"

"I'm washing the dishes."

"Why?"

"They're dirty. Besides, the sooner you get the kitchen clean, the sooner you can go back to the living room and play."

"Why are you being nice?" Reno was looking at Tifa with a great deal of suspicion, wondering what she was really going to to do him.

"Because I've decided that you'll need someone else besides Yuffie in your corner when Vincent finds out you're here. I seriously think he was going to kill you when we found out Yuffie was pregnant."

"Great, the fucking vampire lord is pissed at me. Think he'll stay away if carry a stake around?"

"No, I don't think that'll work."

"What if I nail his coffin shut?"

"I don't think that'll work either..."

"Damn."


End file.
